A Different Twist on Fate
by Fallarnon
Summary: Born six years before the Kyuubi attack, Naruto is left with only his new little sister to care for. How will the few choice words given to him by his parents change him? How will his sister take being hated, but with a brother to care for her? Naruto Sensei. Definite pairings in the future.
1. The Painful Twist

**This first chapter is more of a summary to skip through to near canon. Don't think the style of writing is how the entire story will be written.**

I do not own Naruto and never will I…and before anyone asks yes I took most of the scene of the Kyubbi sealing and put it in mine! At least it's not exactly the same…

Chapter One:

"Aww come on Tou-san, one more bowl please?"

"I'm sorry son, but your mother will be very mad at me if we ruin your appetite too much. Now come on, we have to talk about a few things, Naruto." The Yondaime Hokage knew that this might turn out badly, but he just had to talk to Naruto about this.

"Oh…all right Tou-san." Turning his head, Naruto shouted back over his shoulder, "Thanks Teuchi-san! The ramen was amazing as always!" Said man chuckled at the young boy's antics and merely waved him away.

Naruto and his father walked through the village at a slow pace, often waving to those they knew and smiling or nodding towards those they didn't and whom politely greeted them on their travels. By the end of it all, Naruto was almost wiped out from all the effort he had had to exert not to scowl. Who would have thought being polite to people would be so annoying and hard? Naruto certainly hadn't and looked up to his father in amazement when he barely showed any signs of fatigue.

Stopping at a small wooden bench that overlooked a tiny creak in a more secluded portion of Konoha's park, both males sat down and silence reigned from there. Naruto for his part simply watched and listened to the water going along its merry way, enjoying the atmosphere about him. His father on the other hand was extremely nervous due in part to the information that he had to impart upon his son who would most certainly not take to it kindly.

Finally breaking the silence, knowing he had to get this over with, the Fourth said, "Naruto…I have to tell you something and you're not going to like it at all…"

Turning his head, said six year old blinked up at his father owlishly, the question coming a moment later, "What do you mean, Tou-san?"

Namikaze Minato just sighed, slumping within his seat as he tried in vain to think of some way to possibly lighten the words he was about to say.

'Might as well just say it' he thought.

Starting as before he said, "Naruto…I can't allow you to be there when your little sister is born. It would be too dangerous for you so you have to stay at home and wait for us."

Naruto was shocked at this news, his eyes widening to that they might actually pop out of his head. Shock quickly grew into anger at what his father had just told him and he immediately got up out of his seat, staring straight at his father in anger. "What?! I'm not allowed to see my baby sister when she's born?! Why not? You know I've been waiting for this for nine months! Nine months! You can't do this!"

Minato sighed again and shook his head, "I know you have Naruto, but it's still too dangerous and I can't risk your safety. You have to understand and do what I say."

Naruto just glared at Minato who, even though he felt the pure anger rolling off the boy, didn't back down from the stare, meeting the icy blue orbs with those of his own. "How can it be dangerous? Kaa-chan is only having a baby! What's so dangerous about that?!"

"There are just some things that you don't know or could understand right now. You have to trust me on this, but no matter what you will stay at home," said Minato, feeling ashamed of what he was saying, but knowing he needed to all the same. Putting Naruto in such a risky situation would not sit well on him and would prove that he was a bad parent if he did so. Like Naruto, Kushina had been furious with the suggestion having wanted their only son to be there at her side while she brought his new sister into the world. The great Yondaime Hokage, the deciding factor in the Third Great Shinobi War, and one of the strongest shinobi ever to grace the planet had cowered in a corner the whole time with his hands flashing before him rapidly to try and placate his red faced, angry wife who had cornered him like predator after its prey. After a thorough beating and one explanation later Kushina had had to agree, albeit grudgingly, and had somewhat accepted the fact that they would be leaving their son behind at home. Compared to Kushina, Naruto was nowhere near as frightening for Minato and he would prove it.

Before Naruto began his next rebuttal, the left hand of Namikaze Minato was raised, all signs of regret gone from his handsome and smooth face; all replaced with the stern expression of the Fourth Hokage. Naruto took in his now colder than ice gaze directed solely on him and gulped, instantly realizing that the blonde man was serious now and he would do well to shut up at this point. Before him was not his father but the leader of their village, the Fourth Hokage, fourth ruler of Konohagakure no Sato.

"Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto, you will not be going to that birth and that is final. You will listen to me and there will be no buts about it. The situation is too dangerous for you and this is only for your own safety. Is that understood?"

Naruto felt tears coming to his crystal blue eyes, his entire body shaking from the feelings welling up deep within him. He grumbled out a response and when the response was not heard, was told to speak up. "H-Hai Hokage-sama. I understand and will not go to Kaa-chan's birth. I will stay home and nothing else. I'm sorry Hokage-sama."

The hard face began to instantly melt away as Minato saw the hurt expression on his son's face. He quickly realized his mistake in transferring over to the Hokage glare and he sighed, hanging his head low in shame for causing his son's current condition. Reaching out, he flinched when he saw the quick jerk of Naruto's body as if trying to jerk away from something vile and bile rose into his mouth. He needed to try and fix the situation fast.

"Listen Naruto, I'm sorry for what I just did. I am the Yondaime Hokage of this village, but before that I am your father. I should not have used that tone and for that I am sorry. You have to understand that as a father, I don't want my little man to get hurt in any way if I have any say in it. I do in this case and you could seriously get hurt or worse if you went with us. I would never forgive myself if that happened…"

Naruto sniffled in response, the back of his hand finding his nose before failing miserably in getting the small amount of snot out of his face. "I-It's okay Tou-san. I understand and will do what you say. Just please…bring everyone home safe."

Smiling down at his son, Minato stood up and placed a consoling hand on his son's shoulder, noting this time he didn't flinch away. "I will make sure I bring everyone home safe. That's a promise."

Seeing the honesty in his father's face, the smile that always spoke truth rather than deceit, Naruto bobbed his head in a gesture of acceptance. "Okay Tou-san. I believe you. Can we go home now?"

"Of course we can Naruto."

Taking Naruto's hand in his own, the Yondaime Hokage guided his only son out of the park, the hint of sadness still plaguing the boy's face. However, there was also a hint of acceptance for, while both weren't thrilled with the decision, both knew it had to be done.

XxX

 _-One Week Later-_

The family was sitting in their living room, the adults looking down at their small, blonde son as he worked over the very basics of the art of fūinjutsu. Due to both being masters in the craft, they had wanted to share their knowledge with their son and from what they could see, he was a born natural for it. The way he painted his kanji's, albeit slowly, looked almost like a beautiful dance as they watched the brush dance across the paper; the kanji's perfect with not a single error in their make. To say the two parents were proud could be construed as an understatement and they pondered if they had another master of fūinjutsu on their hands if the way he acted towards the art was anything to go by.

It was at that moment while the three were just enjoying the atmosphere and good company that a small breeze was felt coming from the open window on the house's south facing side. All turning their heads, they all saw a silver-haired man whose hair seemed to counter even gravity itself and a dark blue mask that concealed the lower portion of his face. He sat there, one leg bent and propped up while the other just hung off the other side of the window. With an orange book in hand and his visible eye looking remarkably lazy, Kakashi no Sharingan sat there giving only a, "Yo," in greeting.

Both Minato and Naruto smiled at the scene and were about to respond to his greeting with ones of their own, but were stopped short when they all heard the loud stomping of one Uzumaki Namikaze Kushina making her way over towards the sitting figure. Both males of her family couldn't see it, but Kakashi, being the one under the woman's gaze, shivered as he saw fire burning in her eyes and a face that perfectly matched the color of her dark, red hair. Gulping, he waved at her, "U-Uh hello Kushina-san. It's nice to see you again."

Knowing what was coming, Naruto and Minato began to shake their heads. They silently saluted their brave comrade who had ventured into the lion's den with the worst food of all, that little orange book known to the world as the Icha Icha series, the most perverted of all books filled to the brim with smut brought to you by an old pervert they all knew and lovingly despised. Poor Kakashi. He had only recently started reading the books, drowning his sorrows away into the pages.

Kushina was having none of that 'Hello Kushina-san' crap and with Kakashi being stunned and afraid for his life, the man who normally could avoid any strike due to his Sharingan that at the moment was covered up, went wide-eyed as said book was yanked out of his grip and tossed across the room to create a small impression into the wall just a foot away from Minato's face, the blonde man quickly realizing he could have been killed from the force of the throw if it had hit him.

"You think you can come in here with that book and not get reprimanded for it, Kakashi! You and that old pervert will rue the day you came into my life with such perverted smut! Now what do you have to say for yourself, mister?!"

While this was going on Naruto had turned and had initially been reaching for the orange book that had slid to the floor. However, his wrist was immediately snatched up and held from proceeding any further by his father who leaned over and whispered urgently, "Never and I mean never let your mother see you with one of those. It will be the death of you and possibly me." Naruto gulped and slowly retracting his hand, stared at the book one last time before turning back to the comical scene of Kushina throttling poor Kakashi who had seemed to have gone slack under her brutal retaliation.

After many minutes and Kushina finally settling down to say hello and offer a smile to Kakashi, they all sat back down, Kakashi now nursing a sore neck while watching in horror as Kushina burnt the orange book to a crisp right before his very eyes. Being the prodigy that he was, the teenager knew not to try and save the now charred remnants of his book or else feel the wrath of the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero once again. From there they all made small talk while also observing Naruto's fūinjutsu work that he had returned to after the brief interruption. Kakashi was very impressed with what he was seeing so far and gave his own little pointers now and again since he too knew a thing or two about fūinjutsu.

It was in this happy moment that both hell and heaven decided to meet as one and strike the poor family. Feeling a tight, rippling pain across her stomach, Kushina immediately hissed at the sudden and surprising pain and instantly knew what it was from. Turning to her husband, she gripped her swollen belly tightly and nodded to him, "It's time, Minato-kun."

Hearing this said man began to freak out but with a hit to the back of the head courtesy of his wife, he quickly composed himself better and giving a whistle, two Anbu members appeared before their Lord. After informing them to fetch Sarutobi Biwako, wife of Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, they left him. Waiting a few minutes with Kushina experiencing a few more contractions, they all heard a knock on the door. Opening it, they saw Biwako herself standing there and looking back towards his wife, Minato nodded in her direction, silently informing her that it was time to go.

Kushina nodded back before turning her gaze onto her small son. Smiling down at him, she bent her knees to try and get as close to eye level with him as she could since her large stomach refused to allow her to get on her knees. "Naru-chan, I have to go now, but I'll see you later with your new baby sister. I wish I could take you with me, but it is still too dangerous. I know you're going to be an awesome big brother and she is going to love you so much, just as much as your father and I love you too. We'll see you in a few hours."

Naruto gazed up at her, a small amount of worry evident in his easily readable eyes. Getting up, he gently encircled her waist with his arms and nuzzled her stomach as if sharing his love with both her and his soon to be new sister. "I love you both too, Kaa-chan. I can't wait to see my sister so hurry back."

With tears in her eyes Kushina bent over and kissed the top of his head before guiding him over to the open door where Minato and Biwako stood waiting. Wrapping his arms around his son in an affectionate gesture, Minato then ruffled his hair. "You're the man of the house until we get back. I will keep my promise to you so don't be sad."

After getting an affirmative nod, Minato rose and taking Kushina's arm in his, guided her out the house. Naruto watched them go as he stared out the window, seeing Kushina stop to ask a woman Naruto knew as Uchiha Mikoto something. When he heard a faint laugh, he sighed and turned around to face the one remaining figure in the room.

Kakashi, seeing the saddened expression on the blonde's face sighed and moving over to him placed a hand on his back, "Come on. Let's go get something to eat. And yes, we can have ramen." Seeing some of the sadness drain from the boy, Kakashi couldn't help but smile knowing that no amount of money he might spend that night was equal in comparison to the happiness of the young, blonde boy before him.

XxX

Naruto had just finished off his tenth bowl of ramen, astounding all those present beside Teuchi, his daughter Ayame who was roughly the same age as Naruto, and Kakashi who had known that his wallet would be significantly lighter after that night. Slurping up the last of his broth and wiping his face with the back of his hand, Naruto gave a satisfied exhalation of breath and grinned towards the ramen chef. "Amazing as always Teuchi-san!" As always, the older man just beamed at the compliment from his favorite customer.

Getting up from his stool, Naruto made his way out of the shop and deciding to follow, Kakashi was about to leave as well when he heard the clearing of someone's throat and turned around, saw Teuchi holding out his hand waiting for his payment. Grumbling softly to himself about Uzumakis and their damn bottomless stomachs, he coughed over the money and exited the shop.

Upon leaving and looking about for Naruto, his visible eye immediately opened as wide as can be at the sight before him. There, talking animatedly with Naruto wearing a tight, green, latex outfit was none other than the eccentric Might Gai. What scared Kakashi even more was the fact that in the teen's hands was a second latex outfit that was flowing with the wind in all its terrible, atrocious glory. Immediately racing over, Kakashi grabbed Naruto by the arm and began trying to drag him away, not wanting him to get any bright ideas with that horrible outfit.

"Kakashi my rival, how are you on this youthful night?!" yelled out the loud Might Gai as he stopped the pair from wandering off.

"Oh err…we're doing fine Gai. I just need to get Naruto home so that we can go over a bit more of fūinjutsu," answered Kakashi quickly, trying to escape the current situation.

Naruto just watched the event unfolding before him and was still looking at the green outfit he had been offered in curiosity when he heard Gai reply directed towards him. "Fūinjutsu?! Such a youthful art fūinjutsu is! You must be filled with youth, young Naruto-kun! I should come along too to watch your youthful practice!"

Kakashi was behind Gai who had raced over to stand beside Naruto and was furiously waving his hands in front of him, trying to get Naruto to just say no to the man's request. Naruto, taking note of Kakashi, was about to answer when everyone felt a sudden presence, a terrible and vile pressure that pressed down on all.

Immediately alert, the Jounin and Chuunin looked around, wondering where the pressure was originating from, but snapped their heads around when they heard the soft and sorrow filled voice of Naruto.

"Kaa-chan…."

Both boys knew of Kushina's upcoming pregnancy as well as her status as a jinchūriki so upon hearing this, both older boys knew something must have happened. Gai, being the faster of the two, raced off towards the Hokage Tower where many others would be gathering for information.

Kakashi turned towards Naruto and quickly walked over to him. Placing a hand on his shoulder he said, "Naruto, I'm sure your parents are fine, but right now we need to get you to-" It was here that all hell broke loose in the village because out of nowhere appeared the very figure that was feared by all in the Elemental nations; a Biju and most importantly of all the most powerful of them all, the Kyuubi no Youko (Nine-Tailed Demon Fox).

The great beast, its muscles rippling under the thick orange fur that covered its body stood for a moment before suddenly sending one of its great paws forward, destroying a building to smithereens with just strength alone. Standing atop the wreckage, the Kyuubi surveyed the area around it, nose flaring before its slitted, dark red eyes fell upon the small, blonde haired boy near the ramen shop.

Terrified under the gaze he was receiving, Naruto shivered uncontrollably and his fright increased tenfold when the beast spoke, **"You…boy…"**

Kakashi moved faster than he had ever done in his entire life. Wrapping Naruto in his arms he began a furious sprint away from the area, away from the menacing nine-tailed beast staring fixatedly in their direction. When the beast began to channel chakra into its mouth, forming a small purple hued ball that seemed to vibrate with power, Kakashi knew he wouldn't escape this and muttered, "Shit," knowing his life was at its end and more importantly the life of the small boy in his arms.

The Kyuubi let loose its condescend ball of chakra, its bijudama (Tailed Beast Bomb), and sent it hurtling towards the pair trying in vain to get away from the attack. Right as it was about to hit with Kakashi thinking his life forfeit, the air seemed to ripple, black markings expanding out from a single point and seemed to literally suck the huge purple bomb until nothing existed but a few wisps of smoke. Off in the distance, everyone heard the huge explosion, its bluish white aura lighting the night sky for a few seconds before slowly fading away back to darkness.

Naruto looked up, his face having been buried in Kakashi's flak jacket, and felt his body stiffen and his eyes go wide for there, standing before them, with his white and red trimmed haori flowing about him stood Namikaze Minato in all his splendid glory. The man looked first at the enraged Kyuubi before turning his head to glance back at his son. One lone tear escaped Minato's fire lit face and what Naruto heard next would deeply haunt him for the rest of his life…

"I'm sorry Naruto…I couldn't keep my promise…" and then giving his son one last, sorrow filled look he turned his gaze back onto the rage filled beast before him. Right as he was about to attack the demon a thick adamantine staff burst into existence and plowed into the side of the Kyuubi, sending it away and crashing into the forest beyond. A split second later the Third Hokage appeared in a flicker accompanied by four of his personal Anbu.

Minato smiled sadly to the older man and spoke up, "I'm glad you could join us. I'll take care of everything now. Please protect the village." With a yellow flash he was gone leaving behind grim faced men. Turning to Kakashi, Hiruzen bellowed out, "Kakashi! Get young Naruto back to his home and keep him safe. That is your mission and you will not fail."

Kakashi saluted his superior smartly and shifting his eyes to his young charge, felt a lump rise in his throat as he saw the scene.

Naruto was on both knees, his arms limply hanging from his side as he stared at the place where his father had been just moments before. The look Minato had given had been permanently imprinted into his brain along with the words associated with it. Two streams of tears cascaded down his face as he shook, sadness filling his soul to the brim and anyone listening would have felt their hearts wrench as they heard the soft, almost inaudible words spoken, "Tou-san…Kaa-chan…"

Kakashi moved over and gently lifted Naruto once again into his arms. From there he jumped atop the rooftops to the boy's home. Kakashi, who had always held the same indifferent and detached look after the loss of his two teammates, who never seemed to show any form of emotion, who always seemed to feel empty inside, now cried. He wept openly as he moved deeper into the village, feeling no shame in doing so; a river of tears flowing down from his exposed eye as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Ever since his father had died, ever since his two friends had died during the war, Kakashi had only found solace and love in life from his sensei's family. They were all he had left in this world. His friends were there of course, but for Kakashi, Minato had always been like a father after his own had…passed away. If anything happened to them, he would almost certainly break apart from grief. Sprinting across the rooftops, Kakashi held the Fourth's legacy; a boy that was much a son to the Fourth as a brother for Kakashi and he would be damned if he didn't protect him with his life.

XxX

The great Kyuubi was beyond enraged at the moment. His body was wrapped tightly beneath layer upon layer of glowing metal chains that didn't seem to budge one bit even with all the force he put into trying to break them. Before him stood the two simple humans he had grown to despise over the years. One was dying; lying there with her arms wrapped around the tiny bundle of her daughter. The second was flashing through hand seals so fast that even an accursed Uchiha would not be able to keep up, performing the numerous seals required to perform the Reaper Death Seal.

"Why…why does she have to be sacrificed…for the Tailed Beast balance…for the country…for the village!? And why do you have to sacrifice yourself…for my sake!? What about Naruto!? How will he feel being left behind!?" cried the woman who then immediately began to pant under all the effort.

"To forsake one's country and one's village is the same as forsaking one's own child. You whose birth nation is no more know that all too well. How harsh life is for those without a land to call home…besides which our family…Naruto included…are ninja!

At this Minato paused, letting Kushina think over the words, "Finally…even if I were to live, I'd lose out to you…" and this surprised Kushina, "Even though you won't have much time with her…There are things only you can tell Rina…things that I can't. She would never understand me. That is a mother's role. So I'm not doing this just for you…I'm doing it for Rina and Naruto! I will die for my children. It is my duty as their father."

With that Minato whirled around, facing the Kyuubi head on. With a swipe of its hand, the Death God shot its hand through Minato's soul and in turn his body, the hand shooting forward to grab at the Kyuubi's paw and its very essence beneath. Yelling out, Minato finally completely the ceremony.

"Fūin!" and with this exclamation half of the Kyuubi's very being began to be dragged away from its body, forming a ball of pure chakra before rocketing through the air and straight into the stomach of Minato. Minato stumbled back, the force of the hit forcing him back. After the initial experience was over and Minato's body had snapped back from the chakra roiling inside him, a seal formed upon his stomach.

"My body's going numb…I can't believe how heavy its chakra is…"

Throughout this moment the Kyuubi's body began to shrink in size, becoming half of what it had truly been and it roared out in protest. The chakra chains from Kushina still held it in place, but they appeared to be much looser than before.

"Y-You…! Yondaime Hokage!" the beast roared at the man who had turned his back on it and began to slowly and painfully walk over towards his wife sitting on the ground. "

"All right…Now for the Eight Signed Sealing…To seal the rest of Nine Tails inside Rina…" Dropping to his knees, he pushed his hand to the ground and summoning a small, pillow clad pedestal surrounded on all sides by burning candles, took his daughter from Kushina and laid her down upon the small surface.

"A ritual altar!?" Quickly realizing the Hokage's intent and using all of its strength and with the chains slacking due to Kushina's decreasing health, the Kyuubi struck out, rising high in the air with its paw shooting forward intent on killing the babe then and there so as to stop the ritual from being completed.

Their forms reacting on instinct, both Minato and Kushina diving in front of the impending attack and taking the extended claw for their child. They felt it pierce through both their bodies, barely avoiding hitting Rina as well and instantly began to puke up blood from several of their organs being all but destroyed.

"I said I was their father. Dying for Naruto and Rina is my right."

"I'm their mother…It's my right too…" Kushina replied instantly, panting harshly and trying to draw breath into her lungs. "I guess…this is the end of the line for both of us…"

Minato nodded grabbed her shoulder. Forming a single seal with the other, intent on putting both their chakras into the seal, he finally responded once everything was complete. "Okay. That should do it. Kushina…I am starting…the Eight Signed Sealing now. We won't be able to see her for a while…with the way the seal is set up.

Kushina began to softly weep, thinking that all she could have said would never be.

Sensing this Minato asked, "Do you have enough chakra to...make a clone? If you do, I can make one too…and we can flash them back…to the house where we can…settle our affairs with our children."

"Of course. I always have chakra remember?" and after that weak attempt at humor formed the necessary hand sign and out of the smoke emerged a perfect copy of herself. After Minato had done the same both clones disappeared in a bright flash. They stood there then, trying to give as much advice as they could in that moment to Rina, with her mother speaking most of the time, putting her heart into every word she spoke. Finally, she ended her small speech with a soft…

"Rina…there'll be plenty of hard and painful times ahead. Take care of yourself. Make sure to have dreams…To have the confidence…to make those dreams come true…and remember that Naruto and both of us…are always watching over you!

She then grasped Minato's hand tightly, pouring her own feeling into the grip while sobbing out, "So much! There's so so much! There really…There really is…so much I want...I want to tell you. I want to be with you and Naruto longer! I love you both so much."

Turning to her husband she said guiltily, "I'm sorry...Minato…I talked too much."

"No..It's all right. Rina…my words to you as your father…is ditto to what your loquacious mother said. Love your brother. I know he will always protect you." With those last words Minato finally said, "Eight Signed Sealing!"

With those three words, both Minato and Kushina closed their eyes, feeling the claw impaling their stomachs dissolve into simple chakra before the final half of the Kyuubi's essence flowed into the seal on Rina and with that was gone from sight. Their two bodies fell to the ground, lifeless and still with both their arms pointed towards Rina as if begging to stay with her.

Hiruzen, having been forced to watch from the side due to the barrier set up by Kushina, leaped onto the scene and stood before the three. He stared sadly down at the two prone figures and finally to the crying body of their daughter. Shaking his head, he sighed and bowed deeply towards the two with utmost respect and pride; calling Anbu to take the bodies while he took the babe back to her home and her waiting older brother.

XxX

It was many hours later that Naruto finally awoke. His body and mind had taken a psychological beating and within Kakashi's arms had blacked out from the inner turmoil.

Now the young boy flicked his eyes open and slowly got up, his head lazily looking about and wondering why he was back in his room. Then as if the sleep had been holding the memories at bay even from his dreams, the terrible incident that had occurred returned to Naruto. His vision lost focus and once again he was reliving the moments prior to his mother leaving following quickly by the appearance of his father before him, informing him that he had broken his promise.

Yet again Naruto broke down, tears filling his eyes before rolling down his face and soaking the blanket he held up to it. His chest hurt, his heart feeling as though it was being constricted from within and trying to relieve the pressure he pressed his hands to his chest, his fingers grabbing and tearing at his shirt in his efforts. He was short of breath, his breath coming out ragged. Burying his face into his pillow he screamed his heart out, his spine arching, fists beating at the bed beneath him, muffling his bellows of pain and grief for with the influx of memories came the knowledge that something awful had happened; something to make even his father cry.

After many long minutes of weeping, Naruto finally managed to control himself. It was then he heard quiet talking in the room beyond and wondered if his parents were back, if his dread and fear were all for naught. Jumping out of bed he raced over towards the door and running as fast as he could down the hallway, he slid precariously into the living room.

The two figures inside were not his parent, which saddened Naruto greatly. Leaning back against a nearby wall with his arms crossed was Kakashi, lone eye showing the great sadness he was feeling concerning the news he had just received. The other member of the room, smoking his pipe slowly and sitting on the couch, was the Third Hokage who glanced up as he saw Naruto standing there.

"Oh my dear boy how are you?" the Third Hokage asked, genuinely curious as to how the boy felt after seeing the Kyuubi up close and personal like that. The memory alone was enough to make many people go insane from just the pure terror that the beast could instill.

Naruto ignored the question and gave the previous Hokage an icy yet fearful glare, "Where are Tou-san and Kaa-chan?"

Sighing Hiruzen just rubbed at his eyes, small traces of tears filling in at the corners. "Naruto, there is no easy way to tell you this. Tonight was a hectic time for all of us and within that time there were many heroes who lived and many heroes who gave up their lives. Your parents were part of the second group for in doing so, they knew that they were protecting the village and more importantly you."

There it was. There was the truth he had sought. His parents were…dead. The parents he had loved for six and a half years, the parents that had cared for him, looked after him, the parents that had loved him possibly even more than he them, were dead. He couldn't take it. He couldn't take or accept the thought that his parents would no longer wish him good luck at the Academy in the mornings, would no longer help him with his mediocre skills in fūinjutsu, would no longer be here with him. Who would love him now? Who would he love now? He just couldn't take it.

The boy broke down then and Kakashi immediately moved to Naruto's side, crouching to one knee and guiding the blonde's face gently into his flak jacket. The man wasn't very skilled in consoling people and had dealt with personal issues stoically alone rather than get help from others. Still he tried.

"It's all right Naruto. Don't be ashamed to cry. It's all right to feel sad right now and I completely understand, trust me. The loss of one's parents or any loved one is hard, but let me ask you this. Would your mother and father really want you to be crying over them?" And he waited for a small shake of the boy's head before continuing. "No they wouldn't. They'd want you to put a smile on your face and grow up big and strong just like your father and as kind as your mother. You know that."

Kakashi held the boy close, gently rocking him for several minutes, the only sound in the room being the sound of weeping. Hiruzen looked down sadly at the boy, someone he had come to look at as a grandson of sorts. This was a terrible loss for the now poor orphan for the pain of losing one parent was great, but the pain of losing both at the exact same time was excruciating. He would know. He had experienced the same in the first great war when his parents had been sent out on a scouting mission and had never returned; later to be informed of their ultimate demise at the hands of Kumo shinobi.

After several long minutes Naruto seemed to have calmed down enough, the sound of his crying diminishing into soft whimpers. Realizing that the boy needed something in his life, something to hold onto Kakashi carefully removed Naruto's head from his jacket until he was staring down into the boy's face.

His nose was dripping, his cheek were red, but most of all those oh so expressive eyes, the same eyes as his father, showed the pain, showed the insurmountable sorrow he was dealing with and would continue to deal with for quite some time to come.

"Naruto…" Kakashi started gaining the boy's attention. "I need to show you something. Are you up for it?"

The blonde blinked at that, his overloaded mind barely comprehending the words. Finally after the words had sunk in Naruto nodded.

Seeing this Kakashi rose slowly, taking Naruto's hand in his own. From there all three: Kakashi, Naruto, and Hiruzen moved down the small hallway and stopped just short of the guest room at the end of it. Placing a finger to his lips Kakashi bid Naruto to be silent before he quietly opened the door, moving in with Naruto and Hiruzen trailing behind the masked man.

The room was dark, bare besides a bed, closet, and what appeared to be a crib set in the far right corner. It was here Kakashi guided the boy, placing a hand on his back and pushing him towards the crib. When Naruto had gotten close enough, his height barely giving him enough to see over the edge, he suddenly gasped at what he saw. There before him, wrapped in a small blanket with her eyes closed but a contented smile adorning her lips, was a small baby quietly sleeping.

Glancing sharply up at Kakashi the man responded to the silent question.

"She's your sister Naruto. Her name is Uzumaki Namikaze Rina."

"She looks just like Kaa-chan…she has the red hair too," Naruto said, somewhat in a daze and seeming to just be rambling to himself. Needing to get a better look, wanting to get a better look, he carefully pulled himself up so that he was leaning over Rina, staring down at her with his big blue eyes.

"She's…" He couldn't take it. Seeing his sister there while their parents had died leaving them orphans made him just break down anew and without meaning to the tears began to fall from his face onto Rina. Naruto's breath hitched as he saw this and his brotherly instincts took over for the time being. Drawing back and hopping back down onto the floor, hoping he had not woken up the babe, he wiped his face and turned to the two figures who were simply watching him at this point.

Knowing the boy would have questions Hiruzen smartly guided them out of the room, noiselessly shutting the door except for the barest of 'clicks'. Turning back to Naruto he waited for the questions to come to which they did only moments after leaving the room, the words coming out hushed and with an undertone of concern.

"What do I do?"

"Don't worry Naruto-kun. I will send someone over who will watch over her. But there are a few more things you have to know before we go. Naruto…where do you think the Kyuubi went?" asked the Hokage, giving the boy a hard and calculating gaze, wanting to know his answer and see how he reacted with the next bit of news he must impart.

"Didn't Tou-san kill it? That's why it isn't here anymore?" Naruto questionably asked the two, the Hokage more specifically.

"No Naruto, your father did not kill the demon. There is just no possible way to actually destroy a demon. I know you're starting to learn about chakra so I will just say simply it is a being made up entirely of chakra. One cannot kill something that technically is not living. No...the only way to get rid of a demon is to seal it somewhere where it won't hurt people."

"And where did Tou-san seal it?" Naruto curiously asked, wanting to know what could possibly hold a demon.

"I'm sorry Naruto. Your father decided the only true place to seal the Kyuubi was within your sister. Since he didn't feel comfortable stealing someone else's child and you knowing how he is, you can understand why he would give up his own child for this. But he did leave express wishes for her to be treated as a hero for the sacrifice. I will try my best to make sure his wishes come true."

Naruto was stunned speechless, but the shock of it all quickly passed and in its place remained the totally serious demeanor that marked the protective instincts of an older brother, "And she is not the demon?"

"Good heavens no!" Hiruzen hastily responded, not wanting him to get any ideas. "She has it stored in a seal inside of her, but she is definitely not the demon. This is your sister, your one and only sister. This raises another point I have to make. The other villagers might not see her as such and only see the demon so there may be attempts on her life. I will keep a squad of my men here 24/7 around your house so that she is given the protection needed. I will not allow her to come to harm."

"Neither will I. She is my little sister and I will protect her no matter what," replied Naruto firmly and without hesitance, the set of his jaws and the flash of his eyes showing his conviction.

Clapping him on the shoulder with pride Hiruzen smiled down at the blonde, "That's the spirit. And if you want to protect her even better you should focus on your school work and growing up to be a fine young ninja. But remember this and remember this well." Hiruzen's voice lowered significantly. "No matter how strong you are there are always those out there that are stronger still so know that there is never a complete guarantee that even at your best it is enough. Train with the thought of always needing to improve. Never let your best truly be your best. Always train like that for, with someone to protect, anyone no matter the situation can grow stronger because of it. There's nothing you can't accomplish if you do.

It was after this that all decided to get some rest and both giving the boy a hug, Kakashi and Hiruzen quickly departed the house leaving behind two new orphans: young boy and his newly born baby sister.

XxX

It had only been a week since the Kyuubi attack and already life was very different for Naruto. The very first day after that terrible night the house was plagued with attacks on an almost hourly rate, people demanding for the death of the demon child, and only with the help of the family's Anbu guard was Rina not hurt in all of this. While all of this was going on Naruto had had to deal with one attempted murder by the woman sent to take care of the family. Naruto had discovered her with a small knife concealed under a blanket and quickly called on Anbu to stop the situation before it had even started.

All the property and belongings of the now deceased parents had gone to Naruto and his sister. Going through all the rooms, Naruto had then discovered two envelopes neatly beside one another on his parents' bed. Upon reading his father's letter he had begun to cry, and upon the second from his mother he had broken down in both happiness and sorrow.

 _Dear Naruto,_

 _If you are reading this then I did not survive the fight against the Kyuubi as I thought. I managed to use the last bit of my chakra to form a clone to write this letter so please pay attention to what I have to say. I sit here writing, thinking about your beautiful mother clutching our angelic daughter and your sister and know that I would happily give my life for them. It is the job of a father to protect his family and if he has to make the ultimate sacrifice for them, he would gladly do so. Under the circumstances I have done just that and my only regret is leaving you behind without your parents. Know that, I am extremely sorry that I had to leave you in such a way, but remember that family and friends are everything. Do not go through life fearing, but be brave and strive to protect those you love and cherish. I know life will be hard for you right now, but you have to be a strong man and fight through it all. I know you can. I believe in you._

 _Now with what I am doing, I will be leaving your sister holding a great burden on her shoulders. Please tell her that I love and loved her with all my breaking heart as I write this letter. If there were any other way to rid us of the Kyuubi I would have gladly done so. Since there is not, I have to simply ask this. How could I sacrifice someone else's child when I cannot do so with my own? It would be barbaric for me to do so and I cannot stand that so I sealed the Kyuubi within her believing that, after looking after you for these six long years, she would be able to handle it herself and with you to help I'm sure she will. Both you and her mean the world to me and I could not live with myself if something bad were to happen to the both of you. That is why I warn you now…_

 _The night of the Kyuubi attack…was no coincidence. There was a man within the shadows of it all, but do not go telling this to anyone besides the current Hokage. He had on a mask with an orange spiral and surprising of all he had the Sharingan within the lone eyehold on the mask. I know it may sound preposterous and confusing to you, but tell the Hokage that I believe the masked man behind summoning the Kyuubi into our village was none other than Uchiha Madara. Be wary in the future for he might come to strike again and regain position of the Kyuubi putting Rina in grave danger. That is why you must practice hard and become the best ninja you can possibly be. I believe in you as I always have and believe you will rise to the occasion and protect your sister. There is so much more I wish to tell you Naruto…about how proud I am to be your father…about how you mean so much to me…but I'm running out of chakra and can't write it all down. Grow up big and strong. Your mother and I will be watching over both you and Rina for so long as you may live and will gladly open our arms out to you when you come to us so that we can once again be a family. I love you, Naruto, and I will love you always._

 _P.S. Attached to this letter is another I wrote for Rina so please give it to her when the time is right. Also, there is a book on the bookshelf labeled 'The Tales of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja' It has instructions within that will lead the way to our secret room. Use it well._

 _With a Loving and Broken Heart,_

 _Your Father Namikaze Minato,_

 _Yondaime Hokage no Konohagakure no Sato._

Batting at his eyes, trying to halt the flow of tears threatening to overwhelm him, Naruto then moved to the letter written by his mother.

 _Naru-chan,_

 _I so wish I did not have to write this letter. As your father, I managed to scrounge up enough chakra to make a clone to write this, but a clone can still cry and I'm doing so every moment I write this letter to you. Naruto, I love you so much! I wish I could be there with you two as you grow up to become adults. I wish I could be there to help you get dressed for your first date or make you a cake to celebrate you becoming a ninja. I wish I could be there for you to see you get married and watch over all the grandchildren you would give me. I wish for so much and yet cannot have any of this. Know that if there were a way, I would happily give anything to be with you and Rina again. I love you both so much my heart hurts just thinking about it._

 _With the time I have left here are a few things I have to say to you my dear little Naru-chan. Don't be a picky eater. I know you love ramen, but that sort of food won't let you grow up properly and could even stunt your growth with the lack of nutrition so try to eat more healthily. Make sure you bathe every day and stay warm. Don't stay up too late so that you can get plenty of sleep. I also want to hear about all of your friends you make in your life when we see each other again some day. You don't need a lot; just a few that you can really trust. Make sure you study hard and when studying to be a ninja, don't focus on one type of art, but try and learn as much as you can from all of them. Your Mom was bad at this, but I know you actually like learning so I have hopes for you unlike me. No matter what happens in the coming years and with our deaths, please don't get depressed okay? We know you are sad right now, but we never want to see you like that. Be a big boy, put a smile on your face, and remember all the good times we shared together. You have to be strong for Rina and you don't want her to see you sad do you? Respect everyone around you and make sure not to become arrogant because that is something that can lead you down the wrong paths in life._

 _Regarding the Three Prohibitions, please don't take after your perverted godfather. Be extra careful about loaning and borrowing money. Make sure you save money from every mission and don't start drinking until you're twenty-one. Make sure to drink in moderation when you do because too much drinking is bad for your body._

 _Most of all though, even though I'm a girl and don't really know much about this, at some point you'll notice girls and that's completely normal. Just be careful that you don't fall for the first girl that comes your way because she might not always be the one. Find someone like me who would love you with all her heart and give up everything just to be with you. If she is able to do that, you know you found the one for you._

 _Naru-chan. Just like I will tell Rina, there will be many challenges ahead of you and many will not be pleasant to go through. I have to inform you that those with a demon sealed within them are known as jinchuriki also known as Power of Human Sacrifice. They hold the demon inside in check and make sure they do not get out. I was one of these people and even if I had survived the Kyuubi attack, I would have died due to one important fact. All jinchuriki die when the demon inside of them is removed. It is just a cold, hard fact so make sure you watch over Rina. As someone who was like Rina now, I know the difficulties of growing up with such a heavy burden on my shoulders. She will need someone there for her to protect her so please be there for her. If she needs a shoulder to cry on, be that shoulder. If she needs a hug, offer that hug. I know you will look after her and love her just as much as we would. I so very much love you Naru-chan and I can't even describe it into words. Fight through everything and come out strong just like your mother and father. And remember this…you are never alone. We will always be in your heart no matter what. We both love you with all our hearts Naru-chan. We will wait for you…but make sure you don't come too early._

 _P.S. I'm sure your father is giving you the instruction in order to get to our secret room. In there is a scroll that contains instructions on how to perform the Uzumaki Chakra Chains. Only those with a special type of blood are able to use this technique and I believe you are one of these special people like I was You're my son after all. I hope it helps you in the future. There is a letter beside this one for Rina when the time is right so please give it to her Naru-chan._

 _With tears in her eyes and her heart full of love,_

 _Your mother Uzumaki Namikaze Kushina,_

 _A loving parent that will never be able to express how much her children mean to her_

At this, feeling the emotions rolling from the letter, Naruto curled up into a tight ball at the front of his parents' bed and cried his eyes out; ridding himself of every sad and sorrow filled emotion associated with the loss of his parents. After purging his body slowly of the negative emotions, Naruto read over both letters twice more before laying them down.

With his eyes hardening, the resolve clear behind those strikingly blue eyes, Naruto stood up, his eyes and cheeks still red from his weeping, but no more tears escaped him. He would do as his parents asked himand would become stronger; stronger to protect those that he cared about especially Rina.

Remembering what both father and mother had told him, Naruto made his way over to the bookshelf and removing the indicated book flipped it open. There folded into a neat bundle sat a folded up piece of paper. Unfolding it, Naruto read through the instructions on how to reach the secret room hidden in the small library of their house and what to do in order to access it.

Stalking to the library, Naruto moved over to what seemed like a blank wall, the surface smooth and unblemished. As instructed he nipped his thumb and trailing a streak of blood across the wall, watched in fascination as the blood seeped into the wall. Moment later a single black dot emerged and from there visible seal markings began to swirl and grow from it, glowing and expanded outwards from that single point, ultimately forming a pitch black door like hole in the wall. His father had said in his instructions that only those with the blood of the Namikaze line would be able to access the room since the seal was synced with the very DNA in his blood.

Without hesitation Naruto walked through the inky blackness, feeling almost weightless in the space. After a few moments of floating Naruto felt his feet hit solid ground. Blinking away the fuzziness, he turned his head this way and that, seeing candles lit and giving off soft glows of light to illuminate the large room. On one wall completely covered with a bookshelf that stretched from corner to corner, Naruto saw books. Each shelf was packed to the very brink with some areas having books squeezed in wherever possible, the paper in some indicating the many years they had endured.

Sharply glancing to the next wall, Naruto saw a large, polished wooden desk with various scrolls and even more books covering its surface. This was where both his parents went to in order to work on seal ideas that they thought up he guessed. Later Naruto would find there a scroll that told him the step-by-step procedure to making his own, unique alter dimensional room for himself.

Turning to the next wall, Naruto gasped aloud at the sight of numerous weapons including his father's infamous Thunder God kunai lining the wall. The entire wall was filled with pegs holding this weapon and that weapon and Naruto saw too among these was his mother's personal sword. Moving over to it, he gingerly drew the sword. Removing it from its sheath he admired the fine craftsmanship that must have gone into producing such a fine blade.

After placing the weapon back onto its rightful pegs Naruto then turned to the last side of the large room. What met his gaze were two glass-covered cases, each holding a few tightly rolled up scrolls. Upon further examination, Naruto could read that one read Uzumaki while the other read Namikaze. Moving first to the Uzumaki case, Naruto discovered the Adamantine Sealing Chains scroll as he had been told in addition to the scrolls of their clan's fighting technique as well as everything he would need to know in the art of kenjutsu; the other thing besides sealing and longevity the Uzumakis were famous for.

Shifting to the next case, Naruto gasped again. There in the scroll he was holding was the complete and well detailed process on how to go about performing his father's infamous time-space jutsu; the Flying Thunder God Technique. Tightly rolling that scroll up knowing he would definitely come back to it Naruto then read over the scroll containing the process on how to make the Fourth's creation; the Rasengan. After that, as before, he was given a scroll containing the much faster fighting style of the Namikaze clan.

Ending his tour of the place he knew he would definitely be coming back here not only for himself but also as a place to keep Rina safe in case of danger since the room was virtually indestructible according to his father. Turning about on his heels, without even a single glance back, Naruto left the room to face his new life, ready to take on whatever it had to throw at him.

XxX

Naruto now had a new purpose in life. Every day he would go to the Academy and learn what he didn't already know with clear attentiveness before racing home to his sister. When not being able to attend to her, Rina was now being watched over by a family friend, Uchiha Mikoto, who upon each visit brought along her young son, Sasuke, who bubbled over in laughter whenever he saw Naruto.

After spending time with Rina and performing the Kage Bunshin no jutsu he had recently learned from one of the largest scrolls in the room labeled the Scroll of Seals, he would watch over his sister with a clone while he moved off to the secret room to study. The entire room was chocked full of books containing information on the art fūinjutsu he had just started prior to the Kyuubi attack as well as countless other subjects.

Spending three hours in there, busily reading over the dusty manuals and numerous scrolls and books, he would then head outside the house and perform the various katas of his parents' fighting techniques, wanting to learn them both in order to pay respect to his fallen heroes and parents. After this for the last two hours until nightfall he would practice his katana and throwing skills and aided by both the kenjutsu scroll as well as the occasional interference courtesy from one of the Anbu set to watching over his family, Naruto began to grow in his skills with weapons. He had refrained from using the his father's special kunai for the time being and instead stuck with his mother sword. The sword was a thing of beauty and was how his mother had gained the name of Red Hot-Blooded Habanero in conjunction with her dark, red hair flowing out behind her as she entered the battlefield.

Washing up after his intense day, Naruto would then spend his free time cooking dinner for Rina and himself, playing with her for a time after before sending her off to bed. When she had grown older, she would always pouted at this and always managed to convince him to let her sleep with him in the master bedroom, which he had taken over after his parents had passed away. How could he say no when she gave him that adorable and heart melting puppy dog look? He could never say no to her.

This schedule continued on for many years and Naruto easily graduated the Academy at the age of eleven nearly twelve and then six months later passed the Chuunin Exams held in Sunagakure (Village Hidden in the Sand) with his team and was the only one among them to be promoted to the rank of Chuunin for that first run. He had desperately wanted to continue working with them, but his newest responsibilities as a Chuunin didn't offer him much time. This rankled Naruto even more because he craved more time to spend with his sister who was growing up so fast. He knew she could take care of herself for the most part now, but he still worried. There had been the awful night to which Naruto had taken his first kill…

- _Three Years Prior-_

Naruto was walking back in from a longer than usual workout outside, his mother's katana now firmly strapped to his back so as to give him maximum movement. Readying the stove and hoping Rina wouldn't be mad at him for starting dinner so late, he almost didn't notice the lack of the usual "Nii-san!" that he often heard from his little sister.

Finally noting the absence, Naruto turned around and began looking about for her in case she might be starting another one of her hide and pounce games with him. Placing his sword on a nearby table, he moved from room to room, peering in before moving on after not finding her. Finally upon reaching her door at the end of the hallway, Naruto opened it and was stunned to what he found.

Lying on her bed with her feet being bound together so as to force her to remain still a large figure loomed over the bed. His appearance was like that of every other Anbu member Naruto had ever seen except that on the right shoulder that held the usual marking for Anbu, this one had a different marking that reading the word Ne.

The figure seemed to notice the entrance of the boy and spinning around, launched four kunai in Naruto's direction. Reacting quickly, Naruto rolled to the side, the door taking the hits and splintering on contact with the sharp weaponry.

Rising from his position, he launched himself at the masked figure wanting desperately to get the person away from Rina. All he got was a kick in the face for his efforts and he crashed into the side of the opposite wall with a loud 'crunch', some furniture being destroyed as it had been in his way. Picking up one of these broken pieces, Naruto flung it at the person watching it sail right passed him without harm.

Giving a malevolent snarl at the figure and forcing the pain down, Naruto once again moved to his feet and jumping forward, lifted his right fist up high and aimed for the mask covering the figure's face. Yet again he was stopped and blown away, but in the same process, the man took a step back to prepare himself for the impending attack. This happened over and over again, the figure stepping back a step and Naruto being sent flying away. However, no matter how painful this was, it was not nearly as painful as the thought of losing his sister.

Enraged by this thought and not wanting to fail his parents, Naruto raced forward one last time, his eyes only seeing red in his maddened and slightly crazed state and with his movements quickened by stone cold fury and desperation, he managed to score a devastating shove to the figure's chest. This was not what had made Naruto give a grim smile. No, it was the fact that with that push backwards he had sent the figure's body straight back into the pointed tip of the broken piece of a desk leg that Naruto had thrown close to the beginning of the battle, the leg impaled in the wall.

He watched grimly as a thin trickle of blood escaped down the figure's front, coating the black clothing red even though the blood was so dark one could barely see it staining the clothing. The sharp leg had pierced the figure's heart and had instantly killed the intruder.

Naruto slumped over, exhaustion finally creeping into his body after the high caused by the adrenaline coursing through his veins had died down. Weakly, he opened one bruised over eye and stared at the now dead, masked person. Realizing what he had done, how he had just killed a human being, Naruto felt like he was going to vomit, but quickly rationalized the whole thing out telling himself that if he had not, Rina and himself might have died this very night or worse.

Still feeling uneasy about the whole thing Naruto rose slowly from his position and limping, made his way over to Rina's tied up form. Her eyes were wide and tear stained, but once Naruto managed to untie the bindings, she leaped into his arms, her own wrapped tightly around his body so tightly that she seemed never to want to let him go.

"Nii-san! I was so scared!" she cried into his shoulder. Remembering his mother's words faintly, he let her do so, knowing perfectly well that if his mother hadn't told him that he would have done so anyways. Lying there together, they took comfort in each other's presence and slowly relaxed with it.

Realizing that she was now calm, Naruto then ran with Rina in hand to the Hokage Tower where he informed Hiruzen of everything that had transpired. Needless to say the Hokage was furious and ordered an immediate investigation. After being informed that the team watching the house had been found dead, their bodies left in some nearby bushes, the Hokage then asked if Naruto remembered anything about his attacker whose body had not been found at the scene of the crime. Upon being informed of the Ne sign he had seen, Hiruzen growled something out under his breath before telling Naruto that he and his sister would stay in his home for the time being until all of this had been sorted out.

Bowing in thanks for his kindness, the two made their way home to pack up a few belongings and clothes. Once done, they left and with the Hokage guiding them, made their way to his home where they settled in, waiting for two long weeks before they were allowed to return to their home.

XxX

After that night Naruto had worried for his sister on a daily basis, knowing the way the villagers spoke about her and even him on occasion, calling him the brother of that demon child. Many didn't know how to feel on the situation. For one, both children were that of both Uzumaki Kushina and their late Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, but as well one of them held the demon that had attacked and killed so many of their loved ones. Some decided to look at their family passed the demon, but many others didn't and cursed the entire family believing it had been corrupted by the demon. It was at the tender age of twelve almost thirteen that Naruto finally thanked Kami that he had gone over every facet of Konoha's legal system. And of course all thanks were to be given to his clones.

 _-Six Months Later-_

As the only current, eligible person to take the mantle of Uzumaki and Namikaze within Konoha, Naruto had found himself one day in the grand Council room doing his duty as the head of both clans.

Many didn't think much of him, thinking he was the brother of the demon or he was just some snot nosed upstart that didn't know one end of a kunai to the other. Of course these many comments usually came from the civilian side of the Council as well as an occasional remark from one of the aging Elders. The shinobi side had great respect for the boy, both as the son of the their former Yondaime Hokage as well as personally for his own skills. He was shaping up to being one of the best Chuunin they had within the village and there were even talks of a Jounin promotion after having only become a Chuunin six months prior. All he seemed to need was experience and he received plenty with the many missions he had led over that six-month period.

Naruto of course didn't really care much for his rank personally and simply did what had to be done in order to strengthen himself and protect his sister. It had even gotten to the point where Naruto barely saw anyone but Rina except for the occasional visit by the Hokage, Uchiha Mikoto who seemed to want to help her best friend's children as much as she possibly could, as well as Kakashi who tried to stay in touch, but was always busy with Anbu.

Sitting there, Naruto just listened to the usual chatter about the demon doing this and the demon doing that and only did his anger flare up when he heard mention that she should die for just being born into this world. At this Naruto's anger became palpable and his chakra flared out to match his mood, creating a killing intent that could rival that of a low level Jounin, pressing down on all of them before finally lessening the effect as soon as he heard the first fake and pleading apology coming from them.

The Anbu set to guarding the room had immediately responded to the spike in chakra, but noting it was only Naruto quietly slunk back to their original positions. The shinobi side merely smiled over at the boy that looked at them, all realizing what he was going through. None of the clan heads, while losing many from their clan in the Kyuubi attack, faulted Rina for any of it and did not see her as the demon many mistook her to be. They all reasonably saw a scared girl who was being accused of something she had had no control over since she had been just a babe at the time. Naruto greatly appreciated this and often voiced his thanks in hushed whispers; given shakes of the head in return telling him it was no matter. Even the ever-stern Hyuuga Hiashi, clan head of the Hyuuga clan, had grown a soft spot for the girl and his daughter had quickly become attached to her, almost seeing her as a sister of sorts.

When the Hokage had entered and everyone had risen in respect for the older man, the Council meeting was started. Yagado Kisu, a large and bulky businessman who had control over many of the stores in Konoha, raised his voice to start it off, "Hokage-sama, we are here to today to discuss the enrollment of the… girl earlier this week. We do not believe she should be allowed to be entered and most importantly should stay home so that she does not corrupt anyone else around her.

Hiruzen had been about to defend the girl personally, but when a large killing intent coming from his right caught his attention he sighed and sat back, inwardly smiling at the fact that Naruto's intent was progressing well to the point where he too could feel the effect on him to a lesser degree.

"Councilman Yagado, pray tell what do you mean by your comment concerning the corruption done by Uzumaki Namikaze Rina? I must not have heard you correctly since you seem to have been implying that she has corrupted those around her. Might I ask why you think she is able to corrupt people? Is there a reason you think such? Do tell." During this whole process Naruto had yet to relinquish his killing intent and some were feeling the effects. Worst off was the questioned man who was barely breathing under the glare and pressure directed towards him. When he finally realized he would receive no answer because of the intent he was giving off, Naruto took deep breaths to calm himself and the feeling went away, many thanking their lucky stars that it did or else they wouldn't have lasted much longer.

Yagado Kisu for his part gulped at the questions given to him and knowing he could not actually speak of the Kyuubi under the Third Hokage's Law, stuttered out his response. "We of the civilian council believe that the girl would be a bad influence on the easily malleable and manipulated children around her…" at this he received a short burst of intent that silently informed him to tread lightly, "I mean we just don't believe she would be a good influence on everyone is all. We just worry about our children's safety. We can't be faulted for that."

Hiruzen knew better than to interrupt the current conversation and merely let it unfold. "I see. So you think she is a bad influence then? You worry about your children's safety? That is perfectly understandable, Councilman Kisu, and I can completely relate to your situation." Through all of this Naruto spoke with a leveled, icy tone, his eyes shifting to dark cerulean so that his eyes matched his tone. "Hyuuga-san, might I ask if you believe my younger sister, Rina, is considered a bad influence on your daughter and clan heir, Hyuuga Hinata?"

Hiashi smiled back at the boy for a moment before turning hardened, pale eyes towards Kisu, "No I do not Namikaze-san. I believe that she has been a very good influence on Hinata and now they treat each other, from what I can see, as sisters." With that said, he slowly closed his eyes, once again assuming his quiet and controlled stance he usually took in such meetings.

Kisu who had been mostly embarrassment throughout this entire conversation raised his voice, completely forgetting where he was or whom he was speaking with, "That's because it's using Lady Hinata like some puppet. Trying to get close so that she can-" and he was immediately stopped by Utatane Koharu, one of the three Elders and advisors for the Hokage.

"What I think Councilman Kisu is trying to say is that he is just concerned with the safety of your daughter and hopes you are keeping tabs on her to just be sure of the situation. We wouldn't anything further disastrous happening to your daughter, Hyuuga-san." She had intervened at a very crucial point for if Kisu had insulted the Hyuuga clan in such a way then the entire clan would be out for blood and a possible upheaval could occur.

Hiashi had opened his eyes once more and was staring harshly over at Kisu, his eyes activated into his family's famous Byakugan with bulging veins formed around his pale eyes. At the remark given by Koharu his attention snapped to her when she implied the situation concerning his late brother and the attempted kidnapping of his own daughter for their bloodline, the Byakugan. He stared at her long and hard before nodding his head, "I have been watching her and will put all my confidence within the young girl. I trust her and trust her in the company of my daughters."

Knowing they should move away from such a dangerous waters or risk further complications Hiruzen then spoke, "Are there any more potential reasons to keep young Rina-chan out of the Academy?"

One of the other Elders, a man by the name of Danzo who's right half of his body was completely bandaged over, spoke up, "Yes Hiruzen. I believe I have something to add…"

Naruto had never liked this man although he didn't have any real reason to do so besides feeling weary around the old man. When he heard how he had addressed the Hokage, Naruto voice cut through the room while staring straight into Danzo's visible eye, "That is Hokage-sama to you, Elder Danzo. You will give the Hokage his proper respect and title that he has rightfully earned. Do not show such blatant disrespect in my presence again, Danzo-san," and Naruto said his name in an almost challenging tone of voice.

Clearing his throat to try and fend of any possible confrontation or argument between the two Hiruzen spoke up, "Yes Danzo? What would you like to add?"

"Hokage-sama…" and his eye flicked to Naruto for the briefest of moments before moving back to the Hokage, "I believe that the girl would best serve under me as an apprentice. Under me she could learn how to control her powers that will begin to slowly emerge if what he have been told by the one that examined the seal is to go by. It is all for the good of the village and I would take full responsibility of the girl."

Every shinobi instantly picked up on what he was aiming for, trying to gain full custody of the girl, but it was Naruto that spoke up.

"I am sorry Danzo-san, but I can;t allow that. As I am a ninja and therefore considered a legal adult, I am entitled to watch over my sister as her legal guardian. She does not need another. As her guardian, I am the only one that can legally tell her what to do since she is not a ninja and is not thought of as a threat," and here Naruto gave everyone a hard look as if to dare them to refute his claim. "As well, I do not _trust_ …" and he emphasized that word in particular, "you enough to hand over my sister to you. She is a valuable member of my joint family and as such might have potentially dangerous information that I can't in good conscious allow to be let out to the general public such as her current status was when the higher-ups, you three Elders among those present, were strictly told to keep tight-lipped about the truth of her condition. Then a day later the first attack occurred at our home by one drunk man screaming at the top of his lungs that he was going to kill the 'demon' once and for all. From then on more and more people began to show up uninvited to our home with information that they should not have known. This is why I will not willingly hand over my sister to you, Danzo-san. Do not take it as an insult, but merely words from an overprotective and weary older brother."

The shinobi side and even the Hokage to a lesser extent smirked at the way Naruto had tactfully handled the situation. He had insulted the man, accused him or the other Elders of leaking the information, had informed all that they had no control or authority over Rina, and had said it all while keeping cool and levelheaded in the current situation.

Danzo remained silent after this and seeing this the Hokage went on, "Very well. Danzo will not teach young Rina-chan. She will attend the Academy until she reaches the age to attempt the Genin Exam and if passed, will move onto to become a Genin of the Leaf."

At this there were many outraged cries, comments such as "don't let the thing near out children" or "she should be controlled and not allowed to walk freely" were among the many shouted out by the civilian representatives.

It was during all this that Naruto was growing angrier by the comment, but only the thoughts of keeping his cool kept him from exploding at the civilians. They would take that as a clear sign that he was unable to manage his role as a legal guardian due to being unable to control his temper and would use that opportunity to strip him of that role to do who knew what to her.

"That girl that you are all referring to is not a thing. She is Uzumaki Namikaze Rin, sister of Chuunin ranked Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto. She is the daughter of the late Uzumaki-Namikaze Kushina and her husband, our late Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato. She is a young _human_ girl who has feelings and should be treated as such. I implore you to keep that in mind, civilians, or else there will be hell to pay." Naruto had seen the obvious reaction at being insulted by being labeled as simple civilians, but all had bitten back angry retorts knowing that Naruto never went back on his word and suffice to say would carry out his threat if need be.

"Is that a threat?" asked the last of the three Elders, one that went by the name of Mitokado Homura. He was as old as his two companions but seemed the more lenient of the three.

"It was a simple fact. I am sure you all know how protective I can be for my loved ones. Suffice it say that if anything was to happen to her, I would find her if taken and wreak havoc on those that would dare insult my family. After that I would take both her as well as the techniques such as the Thunder God and Rasengan and travel far away from this village. I really doubt you want to risk losing two valuable things such as those as well as the last members of the Uzumaki and Namikaze clans. So as I said before, it not a threat, but a simple fact Elder Mitikado."

The older man seemed to consider this for a moment, his eyes staring at the young boy in intrigue for a few moments before nodding his head. The young clan head fascinated him for, even though he was vastly intelligent, strong willed, and powerful in his right, he was still quite very young. Homura had always had a liking for his mother, Kushina, for she too had possessed those same qualities when she had come to the village as a refugee of sorts and this respect had now passed down onto her son. "Very well. I think we all see what you are saying, Uzumaki-san. Thank you for elaborating."

Hiruzen quickly put in his two cents before the meeting would be adjourned, "I don't think that will be necessary Naruto. Rina-chan will be treated with respect that she is due as is any other child her age. We all greatly respect your clans and nothing bad will come to them I can assure you of that. Now then, I think we are finished here for the time being. Naruto, I will like to see you in my office to talk about the upcoming Jounin Exam. Thank you everyone and be safe."

XxX

It was safe to say that Naruto had kept a tight watch on his sister from then on when he could and begged both the Anbu and Mikoto do so when he could not which they gladly did since the new Anbu team as the one prior had taken a liking to Rina's sweet and kind personality, the new young purple-haired swordsman looking Anbu taking an obvious shine. And so Naruto went about life, watching his sister closely and after a month of waiting for the Jounin Exam to start, passed that with flying colors and took up the position of Jounin Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto no Konohagakure.

XxX

 _A small orphan cries_

 _Death's Doors in his parents' eyes._

 _And all he has left is his sister._

 _He needs to grow strong._

 _He doesn't have long._

 _To protect the life of his sister._

 _Will he take up the challenge?_

 _Will he draw in the knowledge?_

 _To make sure he can keep harm from his sister._

 _For if he cannot._

 _It all matters not._

 _His sister will not have long after._


	2. The Truth Realized

I do not own Naruto and most likely never will.

Chapter Two:

 **Naruto's Age: 19**

 **Rina's Age: 12**

 _Six Years Later…_

Naruto had just returned from a long mission, his body aching from the many cuts and bruises decorating his body. It had been one hell of a mission, but Naruto had enjoyed it all the same. The original A-rank mission had been to simply investigate and intercept a group of mercenaries set to kidnapping a nobleman's daughter and using her as ransom. That had changed upon contact with the enemy. All information gathered had indicated there would only be around fifty of the miscreants, but when Naruto and his team had ambushed the group, they quickly came to realize that among those present were at least half a dozen A-rank, eight B-rank, and five C-rank missing-nin who put up one hell of a fight. They had been hired to aid in the ambush. Suffice it to say they had not taken kindly to having the tables turned on them and had reacted violently leading to an immediately clash between the two groups.

In the end Naruto and his team of eight, thankfully all being higher ranked Jounin and Chuunin, had managed to squeeze out a victory, but not without having one of his men injured in the fight. While someone like Naruto often didn't need assistance in a fight, the number games always balanced the playing field out in the end and it was thanks to the assistance of his team that the enemy had been beaten. However, the injured teammate rankled Naruto deeply for, while he knew that he should be thankful none of his team had died, Naruto's perfect streak of coming back without an injured teammate was broken after six years of leading his own jounin and chuunin squads.

Sighing at the thought and ordering his men away and the one injured taken to the hospital, Naruto made his way to the Hokage Tower for debriefing. Moving through the brightly lit and curving hallway, Naruto stopped in front of a mirror, his eyes drifting up and down his form to take in his appearance.

He almost looked like an exact replica of his father, Minato, from the chiseled yet slightly rounded face with golden locks hanging from either side of his face. He was tall, standing at a near 6'1'' with a lean, fighter's frame that seemed to be built for speed rather than strength.

He now wore a standard green flak jacket zipped halfway up with a solid black muscle shirt underneath whose sleeves covered three-fourths of his arms before leading to his hands that were covered with the standard Jounin plated gloves. Below this Naruto wore a pair of solid black Jounin pants with various pockets for storage. His left thigh was wrapped with a few layers of bandages while on his right was a pouch that held his explosive tags and kunai which were exact copies to his father. Near his back pockets were two additional pouches, one holding regular kunai while the other shuriken. Just above the sandals on both legs was an additional thin layer of bandage tape wrapped about his legs. As well, Naruto had a red and black trimmed haori at home just as his father had had, but rarely wore it unless the mood hit him or the situation was deemed fit to wear it. He hated having the thing repaired every time it got caught or torn in battle.

In his younger days Naruto had always sported a brightly colored orange shirt, but over the years he had come to realize that the color was a dead giveaway when stealth was required on missions. Naturally he had done away with it, but his love of the color had not waned and every morning he would wrap an orange kerchief around his upper arm in representation of those long gone, innocent years he had had before finally accepting the true life of a shinobi.

Approaching the Hokage's door, he eyed the two guards on either side, both of whom stepped aside quickly without a word of protest or request for identification lest they face the wrath of Konoha's own Yellow Wraith, S-rank ninja in all known bingo books.

At the tender age of fifteen, after countless hours of research and studying, Naruto had finally done something no one in written history had ever done before. Having wanted to refrain from using his father's ingenious creation, Hiraishin, and desiring to be known for his own achievements rather than someone else's Naruto had concocted a seal array that was solely his and his alone. The seal had been vastly complicated to create, drawing on layer upon layer of various seals to support itself and the ability it offered someone; the entire premise of the experiment based on one thing and one thing only, speed. It had taken months to create with many failed experiments in between start and finish, but it had been all worth it to Naruto when the final product was constructed.

Implanting his new seal formula into his own sandals, Naruto was now able to magnify his speed to an almost unheard level, matching a speed just below that of the Flying Thunder God itself. While it indeed was not as fast as his father's creation, it in turn gave Naruto more perks when it came to fighting. Instead of being forced to move in a basic straight line in between points as the Flying Thunder God made the user do, Naruto's seal gave him the ability to direct and redirect his movements as though he were simply running extremely fast; something he was basically doing. This made for a much more convenient way of fighting than having to worry about planting his seals down this way and that. So fast was the speed he moved at that the only thing the enemy saw was a bright, yellow afterimage of Naruto when he applied his seal, giving him the moniker of Yellow Wraith and ultimately giving his technique the name Flash Step. Although it used up a considerable more amount of chakra than the Flying Thunder God for the seals would constantly have to be infused with chakra for them to work, he had chakra aplenty and Naruto's reputation had soared to a title only gained by the Yellow Flash himself, a flee on sight status.

Stepping into the office, Naruto took in the sight before him. Sitting in his chair behind his paper-loaded desk as was custom the Third Hokage sat. Before he had walked in, the woman, her ruby eyes flashing with a smile set on her equally matching lips had been talking animatedly with their leader. Upon his entry, she had stopped and had turned to face the newest of the room's occupants. Seeing who had entered the woman, her wild, black hair covering her entire face as she moved, bowed her head low towards him in greeting, "Namikaze-san."

Naruto scowled at this, personally having never enjoyed formalities and with his rank of S-class, who were few and far between in the lands of the Elemental Nations, had been given much more respect than before. He was on an equal level with the famous Densetsu no Sannin. One of those Sannin, Jiraiya the Great Toad Sage, was even his godfather and had personally trained with Naruto when he visited the village and didn't have to tend to his large spy network. From this to being the son of the Yellow Flash and Red Hot-Blooded Habanero made him quite well known. He was as well thought of as a son by one of the other Sannin, Senju Tsunade, one of the greatest medical ninja to ever grace the land, surrogate grandson to the Third Hokage, and little brother to Kakashi no Sharingan. With all of this Naruto seemed to have many connections and was famous throughout the land. So of course Yuhi Kurenai, the woman in the Hokage's office, had given respect to him, although it was mostly due to the fact the Hokage was right there. Both were close friends and had known each other for a long time.

Waving his hand in a gesture to signify for her to cease such actions and a small smile replacing the previous scowl, Naruto responded, "Please don't do that, Kurenai. You know how much I hate formalities."

Kurenai darted her gaze towards the Hokage, which got Naruto's eyes rolling. "Like he cares what anyone calls me. Isn't that right you old coot?"

Hiruzen growled at the boy's impudence.

Chuckling Kurenai smirked at the blonde. "Very well Naruto." She turned to look back at the Hokage. "Please excuse me Hokage-sama. I should get going. I have plans this evening that must be taken care of."

"Oh of course Kurenai-chan. You are excused and I hope you find your new Jounin rank to your satisfaction. Come to Naruto, myself, or any of your other Jounin for advice if you need it. I am sure any one of us would be willing to offer our support.

"Thank you. I shall keep that in mind. Goodbye for now, Hokage-sama. You as well, Naruto," and with that she strode out of the room leaving behind both men standing there in the now quiet office.

"I assume you have come to report your mission. You seem a bit ruffled up so am I to guess that the mission did not go as planned?" Hiruzen said into the silence, peering at Naruto with intrigue.

"Hai Jiji. We had just finished gathering information on our target and after planning our move had set up an ambush. We had been only expecting mercenaries within the group wishing to kidnap young Mitoshi-san, but what we hadn't expected were six low A-rank missing-nin from Kumo with an assortment of B and C-rank is the mix. Let's just say they were as glad to see us as we were to see them."

Naruto chuckled. "After the battle and leaving none alive, we stored the bodies of the missing-nin for Konoha to collect their bounties and headed back here with the money for the successful mission. Only one of my men sustained major injuries and is now being taken care of at the hospital. Further details will be in my report," Naruto said, nodding his head towards the Hokage.

"You say there is someone from your team in the hospital? Well looks like your streak is gone now. It is a shame, but at least no one was killed," Hiruzen teased causing Naruto to bristle.

"Yes well what's happened has happened and nothing we do can change the past…no matter how much you would like to…"

Sensing the mood shift Hiruzen cleared his throat to draw Naruto's attention back to the present for the time being, "Yes well congratulate your team for me. You all did a superb job from what I can see and will receive compensation for the addition of so many high ranked ninja. Thank you for informing me Naruto and if you would stop by in two days, I wish to discuss something with you that might change your life for the better.

Curious at that final statement, Naruto bid the Hokage good day before simply disappearing out the open window, heading in the direction of his home.

Upon arriving, he set his sword down on the nearest table and stripped away his flak jacket. With a heavy sigh he catapulted onto the couch and there lay face down, weariness starting to overcome his body. Yet sleep was never to be for Naruto for as his eyes closed and his conscious began to slowly drift away, the front door of the house opened and with a loud bang closed a split second later.

Opening his eyes so that they formed slits, Naruto saw a red-haired girl pass through his vision, seeming not to be able to sense him due in part to his body unconsciously keeping his chakra levels as low as possible out of reflex. Groaning softly to himself, he dragged his body into a sitting position before raising his voice, "And here I don't get a hug or a welcome home? I'm heartbroken Rina-chan."

Naruto grinned as he heard a loud squeal coming from the kitchen and five seconds later was properly glomped as Rina raced over and tackled her brother. Too tired to do much but hug her in return, Naruto smiled down at her bright and happy face.

"Welcome home Nii-san! I missed you!" exclaimed Rina, burrowing her face into his chest as if wanting to stay there for eternity. He was her only family and the bond between them could only ever be broken by death itself.

Giving her one last squeeze before grunting and pulling away from her, she only then noticed how tired he looked, "Oh I'm sorry Nii-san. You look awful!"

"Thanks for pointing that out. I probably feel worse than I look." And here Naruto grinned, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Anyways, how's the class's 'deadlast' doing eh? Still failing those tests?" This was an inside joke between the two and had been going on for nigh six years now.

 _-Six Years Prior-_

Six-year old Rina was cold. She could feel cold water rushing about her ankles as she stood there in the dark, musky sewer like room. Before her was an immense gate, stretching for as high as the eye could see. Set in between the side edges of the two caged doors laid a simple piece of paper with the kanji for 'seal' written upon it.

Walking slowly over, feeling some sort of malicious force exuding from the cage, Rina stopped stock still as the greatest figure she had ever seen came into existence right before her very eyes. The figure, in the shape of an orange furred fox, had red slitted eyes that were filled with complete and utter hatred. Behind it, swirling and shifting about, were nine tails each seeming to have a life of its own.

Within a moment of stopping Rina saw the great beast rise up on its haunches, nine tails splayed out behind it with equal spacing in between each one, before it launched itself at her and the caged doors. Releasing an ear splitting roar that shook the very room around her, causing cracks to form in the sewer walls, its malice filled eyes staring fixatedly upon Rina as it charged. Rina couldn't move, she couldn't breath, and what made matters worse was that the caged doors seemed to just disappear leaving only open space between her and the running fox. She was scared witless at the spectacle and feared that she would never again see her amazing older brother again. An image of her brother flashed through her mind and stayed there just as the great maw opened wide, biting down with a snap. Then all she saw was black…

Naruto had awoken as soon as he had heard the screams of alarm. Reaching under the pillow for his kunai, he darted swiftly out of the room. His heart was beating so fast thinking that there was yet another attack on his poor sister, but when he came to her room and saw her thrashing about, his worry diminished ever so slightly.

Moving over to her and placing his hands on her, he tried to shake her away and rid her of her nightmares to no avail. Shaking her more urgently, his worry increasing, he finally saw her lids snap open and Naruto had to step involuntarily back at what he saw. Dark blue eyes had come together to meet violet and Naruto had seen the pure and utter fear written in those orbs staring back at him.

"N…Nii-san?" he heard Rina ask and instantly he was at her side again, hands reaching out to clasp her own in his.

"Yeah it's me Rina. Don't worry I'm here."

"I was so scared…it was so dark…I thought I had lost you forever," and with that statement she broke down. Naruto quickly moved in to let his arms ensnare her, propping her head up against his chest as he lay there, letting her cry her fears out. When at least she had become still, not a single sob being uttered by the small girl, then did Naruto ask.

"What was your nightmare about, Rina-chan?"

Rina seemed to hesitate at this, her voice failing as she once again seemed to relive that horrifying image of being eaten by the large fox. "It was so scary. I…I was in this dark and wet place. I didn't know where I was and there was this big cage in front of me. When I l-looked in all I could see was a big angry fox staring at me. It…ran towards me and I was s-so scared I couldn't move. Then it ate me and everything went black…"

Naruto tried to suppress the growing knot in his stomach, his mind racing at the very idea of Rina seeing…

"Rina…what color fur did the fox have?"

"I think it had orange fur Nii-san. And it had nine tails behind it."

Naruto's body instantly tightened, his breathing becoming labored as he tried to fight down the growing anxiety and worry that was beginning to invade his body. Rina seemed to pick up on his change in temperament and gazing up at him asked, "What's wrong?"

Breathing deeply so as to try and calm his rapidly beating heart and push down the nausea that was rolling through his stomach, Naruto wondered what he should do. Should he tell her the truth? Was she too young to be told the truth and truly understand? What would happen if he did? All these questions came at Naruto in one great gigantic wall of thoughts and he felt himself drowning under the pressure of making the right decision. Only the light touch of Rina's hand on his arm dragged him out of that waiting tsunami of worry and doubt. 'It was always Rina…' Naruto thought before he sighed and propped himself further against the backboard of the bed.

"Rina-chan…please listen to me and do not interrupt. What I'm about to tell you is extremely important and cannot be spoken aloud unless you truly and utterly trust someone. You may speak about this if you want to, but if someone else were to there would be severe consequences for that person. Do you understand me? This is an S-rank secret and it's top secret.

"I understand Nii-san."

"All right…just remember what I said and don't interrupt no matter what."

Pausing to run a hand through his hair he finally began. "When you were born something very terrible and sad happened. Something that would lead to a great many people becoming angry and still remaining angry even up to this day. Six years ago the great Kyuubi attacked our village and almost completely destroyed it. If it wasn't for the work of the Yondaime Hokage, our father, we would not be here right now nor would we be alive. Our father fought the Kyuubi and after a long and tiring battle managed to succeed in trapping it with the help of our mother, Kushina. I'm sure you've been told that our father killed the Kyuubi. Let me tell you Rina…"

Here his voice dropped significantly, "There is no possible way to kill a demon and so what people do is seal the demon into something that can hold the great power and might of that beast. There are a couple pots and jars that have the power to hold the creatures but the strongest one of all…the most sought after and used sealing object in all the lands…is a human…a human sacrifice. And so wanting to protect his village and family, our father sealed the Kyuubi into a babe born just that day.

Naruto paused and looked deeply into Rina's eyes, wanting to impart this very important knowledge upon her without any misunderstanding. "Now…and I want you to listen carefully to me Rina. Our father couldn't bring himself to use someone else's child and believed that it would be despicable to do so. So as a sacrifice he used his own to store the demon. On the night of our parents' death and the defeat of the Kyuubi you, Rina, became the vessel that holds the demon. There is a seal on you that keeps the beast in check. This is why you probably hear things like 'demon brat' or have been told to just go die. People are mad at the Kyuubi for killing their loved ones and want revenge."

At hearing this Rina began to shake violently, a painful sob retching from her throat as she cried uncontrollably. Naruto stopped his lecture there, content with just letting Rina go over the information in her head and come to her own conclusions. It was the next three words that stunned Naruto to the core and made him want to vomit.

"I''m a monster," the words coming out so matter of factly, so convinced that it was the truth that Naruto furiously shook his head and grabbed at Rina, forced her to look up at him and into his eyes.

"No! You are not a monster Rina! You are definitely nothing like that! The beast was stored in the seal on you. It's like a holder for a kunai. The holder holds the kunai, but is not the kunai itself. You are what keeps the Kyuubi locked in its prison. You could never be a monster Rina-chan." (I could actually describe how this description of a jinchūriki is actually incorrect, but she is a child and might not understand.)

"B-But…Tou-san and Kaa-chan are…dead because of me. I was the reason you got left behind, Nii-san. If it wasn't for me…you would be happy…you wouldn't be alone."

Naruto's eyes snapped down at that, his entire body going numb from the shock of her words. For many precious moments he just sat there, staring down at his sister who was crying softly into his chest. Reaching up with a free hand, Naruto began to lightly stroke the back of his sister's hair, his fingertips gliding across the glorious strands of red hair and occasionally parting them like rocks would the ocean waves.

"Oh Rina-chan, never say something like that again. Our parents gave their lives up to protect this village true, but they also gave them up so that we both may live and grow up. It's the duty of a parent to protect their children and they did that that night. They loved us both so much. I know they did. Also, I am never alone Rina-chan. I have you here with me and I love you so much." And for the next part Naruto laid his hand gently atop the place where Rina's heart beat softly, her body and mind calmly under his soft words.

"Plus we're both never truly alone. We always have our parents…in here…in our hearts. They are always watching over us and would hate it so much if they saw you crying right now. They always wanted me to be happy and they'd want the same for you. Now please stop worrying. You are not the Kyuubi and you never will be. The village just doesn't understand that. Never believe what they say about you and remember what I said tonight. Let my words guide you. If I ever lost you…I-I wouldn't know what to do…" and he slightly broke, tears falling from the corner of his eyes as he shed his fears for a possible future.

Rina gave him a soft smile and buried her head further into his chest, squeezing her arms a bit more tightly around him to show him the same comfort he had shared with her. "It's okay Nii-san. I'm not going anywhere," she said lifting her head up to plant a soft kiss on his cheek.

Naruto chuckled dryly, "All right I'm better now. You can stop giving me the death grip," he teased lightly. "How about a change of topic? How were the last few days at the Academy? You learn a lot?

Rina bobbed her head at the question and smiled warmly, wiping away her tears. "Yeah I did. I don't like learning boring stuff, but Hinata-chan is there so it makes it fun!" she exclaimed jovially.

"Oh that's right. You're spending a lot of time with her I totally forgot. How is she? Is she fun?"

"Heck yeah she is! She's so much fun and we have a lot in common and her eyes are to die for and…"

"WOAH there slow down I get the picture. Seems you really are having fun although now we have to talk about something that isn't so fun…" Naruto said, his happy mood slowly diminishing at the thought.

"What is it Nii-san?" Rina asked curiously, raising her head off his chest to glance up at him.

"Well…you know how we just talked about you having the Kyuubi and people not understanding you…?"

Rina once again nodded her head, remembering what he had said.

"Yes well…we both know you're smart. Very very smart in fact, but there are…factors that you have to understand," Naruto informed hesitantly.

"What factors?" Rina asked, rather confused at the moment since her brother wasn't making much sense at all right now.

"Well a lot of people see you as the Kyuubi and so are very scared. Remember all the attacks that still occasionally happen? That's what I'm talking about Rina-chan. I don't want you to get hurt since you're outside of the house a lot more now without supervision around you. Something bad could happen."

Rina shook her head and gently rubbed his forearm in order to placate Naruto's growing ire and anger, "It's all right. I won't get hurt. I promise and I never break my promises."

Naruto visibly flinched at talks of breaking promises, remembering back to the time when his own father had made him a promise and had broken it. Naruto didn't hate the man for that. Everything was out of his control at the time and Naruto would have faired no better than he if the roles had been reversed. He had forgiven his father long ago and prayed that his father was at peace because of it.

"I know you don't Rina-chan. All right well…in order to become a shinobi you have to pass a certain test called the Genin Exam. I'll let you in a little secret that you can't tell anyone okay?" At this Rina showed her response with a quick jerk of the head.

"While most think that when they finish showing off the three academic jutsus and passing all the previous portions along with that one means that they have become Genin…they are completely wrong. After that half of the exam, the ones that pass are broken up into teams and given Jounin instructors who test them themselves. If they like what they see then they pass them and the group officially become Genin like they thought they had. If not, they get sent back to the Academy for another six months. The problem is…even if you get through the first portion of the exam fine, the second is very opinionated. I think that part of the Council will try and sabotage you and force you to go back to the Academy. So I can see only one way to actually get you on a team that will pass."

"How am I going to do that Nii-san?"

"Well I'm sure you heard about almost the entire Uchiha clan being wiped out. I went to check with some others and only found Uchihas Mikoto and Sasuke left alive. I was thankful believe me, but still what happened was very bad. Sasuke is the only one now entirely able to pass along his Uchiha genes in all of Konoha and almost the entire world so he's going to be given special treatment I fear. The Council will surely force anyone testing Sasuke to let him pass and they will be forced to comply. That is how you're going to pass too. We're going to make sure you're on his team when you take the last portion."

Naruto knew this was a terrible plan. He knew this was a very very bad plan, but there wasn't much he could do to control the bias and contempt the rest of the village held for Rina. While he might have been able to if he were here, most of the time he wasn't so this was the only feasible way he could think of to get around it.

Rina tilted her head in confusion, "How are we going to do that Nii-san?"

"Simple really. There is a standard protocol that when making the teams they are as balanced as possible. Because of that the Rookie of the Year, which undoubtedly will be Sasuke from what I've seen and heard, and the so called dead last will be put on the same team with another person."

Understanding finally began to dawn on Rina, but there was still a tinge of confusion in her violet hued eyes, "But…how am I going to be the dead last if that's what you want me to be? I'm not dumb."

Naruto sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, "That's the bad part of the plan. In order for this to work you have to act dumber than you actually are and can't do as well as the others in all facets of the shinobi arts. I don't mean outright fail, but fail enough so you're at the bottom of the class. This will be very difficult and I don't want you to do this at all but…" and Naruto looked down remorsefully.

"It's the only way for me to become a ninja…" Rina finished for him.

"Yeah, the only way I can think of…"

"All right then!" Rina seemed to cheer up. "I'll just have to be the best dead last the Academy has ever seen!" Rine yelled out, her playful mood coming out and ready for the challenge.

"You sure you want to do this? You'll be looked down on and mocked a lot?"

"Well that's not something new is it?" Rine countered causing Naruto to sigh once again.

"I'm sorry that it has to be this way Rina. I'd have give anything for you not to do this," Naruto said sadly, eyes downcast in sorrow.

"It's okay Nii-san! I know you and you're only looking out for me. I'll do it and then become a ninja and then show everyone what Uzumaki Namikaze Rina can really do! I'll become the best ninja ever!"

Naruto chuckled at this and ruffled the top of her head, the fiery red hair billowing out around his hand. "That's the spirit. Come on. Enough of this serious talk. Let's go get you some ice cream."

Rina cheered at this and jumping out of bed, scurried out the door and out of sight, ice cream being one of her few vices. Naruto for his part just shook his head in amusement and climbing out of the bed as well, made his way out the door and into the kitchen, glad that Rina may have a shot at becoming a ninja after all.

 _-Back to the Present-_

"Class is going just fine Nii-san. It's really hard not to do everything right. I have to use my left hand when throwing stuff and purposely have to fill in the wrong answer on the written tests. It's sooooo hard," she said, flopping down on the other side of the couch.

Naruto snorted at this and slowly got up, some of his joints cracking from the effort, but he just ignored their protests and made his way over to the kitchen to prepare lunch. "Well glad that the plan is actually working. The Genin Exam is in a few days right?"

"Hai it is and that's going to be just the worst! It would be so much easier just to do everything right."

"Yeah I know, but then you'd have to do everything you've done in the last six months all over again and that would be even more of a drag wouldn't it?" Naruto pointed at, dipping a spoon into a leftover bowl of soup before frowning at the coldness of it and put in the microwave to heat up.

"I guess you're right as always Nii-san. So when'd you get back from your mission? Did you come straight home?"

"No no I came in about an hour ago and had to debrief Jiji. I have to go back in two days to talk about something though," Naruto replied, grabbing up a napkin and setting it down on the table as he waited for his soup.

"Do you know what he wants to talk about?" asked Rina as she came to sit at the table.

"Not a clue, but I'll let you know unless it's really important."

"All right you better. Now let me tell you what happened at school today. It was soooo funny!" and with that Rina and Naruto began to talk as Naruto ate his soup, both comfortable in the other's presence and quite willing to share some of their latest stories together.

XxX

Two days later found Naruto casually walking into the Hokage's office, the heels of his sandals clipping the carpeted flooring to make his presence known before stopping just short of the desk. Hiruzen looked up from his reading and smiled warmly up at the tall man standing before him.

"Ah Naruto-kun I see you're as punctual as ever. I'm so glad you didn't take after Kakashi in that regard."

"I'm glad as well. I couldn't handle being shot death glares from everyone at being late and making them wait two hours for me to show up," Naruto replied jokingly.

"Yes well be that as it may we have something to discuss. Please sit," the Hokage bade him, gesturing with a hand to one of the two chairs in front of his desk. When Naruto instantly complied the Hokage then went on.

"I have a proposition for you that may interest you greatly if I can manage it Naruto. Something that will benefit a great many people." At this Naruto raised a single brow in curiosity, but did not say anything in reply.

"As you know, you have great weight and support among many of the land's greatest ninja as well as are known to be an equal to many of those same people. You are the prince of Whirlpool country and clan head of both the Uzumaki and Namikaze Clans as well as being one of only two survivors known of said clans. You hold many powerful techniques at your disposal, which would be catastrophic to the village if handed over to an enemy. As you can see, you probably have almost as much weight as I do and this will give us an advantage in the next coming days." Here Hiruzen paused, letting Naruto have some time to think over what he had said.

Finally, leaning over his desk, he continued with a simple question. "What if I was to suggest that you be given a position of Jounin Sensei to a group of Genin?"

Naruto frowned, "You know my skills are much more needed out in battle than watching kids Jiji."

"Yes yes I know and agree with you except on one point. While your skills are very impressive as they ought for an S-rank ninja, they would best be served watching the Genin I have in mind."

Naruto cocked his head, the confusion evident in his sky blue eyes, "And why is that?"

"That is because I want you to be a Jounin Sensei to Rina as well as Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto attention was immediately caught at that, eyes wide in shock at the suggestion. Not only Rina but Sasuke as well?

"Yes I know of your plan to fool everyone into thinking Rina is the dead last so that she will be paired up with Sasuke. I fully agree with your thoughts on the matter and so I've decided to use my power as Hokage to put them together after the Exams and would do so even if she weren't considered the 'dead last' of her class." He offered the blonde an amused chuckle.

"I think this situation is a win-win for all parties. Rina becomes a Genin, you get to watch over her, and the Council is appeased with the knowledge that an S-rank ninja will be watching over one of the last of the Uchiha as well as the holder for the Kyuubi. I think it a perfect situation."

Naruto had to agree to this and gave the Hokage a sly grin, "You've been thinking this up for a while now haven't you? Either way I like it, but how do you know Rina will pass the exam?"

The Hokage gave Naruto an interested and slightly amused glance before explaining, "That is simple. I will be there personally proctoring the final portion of the test alone. That way, since I presume she will be going for fifty percent on the previous two portions, doing all three academic jutsus perfectly will just give her enough to pass the test. She won't have to worry about keeping up her dead last status in front of me."

Naruto slowly rose from his seat, standing tall before bowing to the old man, "Thank you Jiji. You will not regret doing this."

Hiruzen snorted and waved his hand in front of the man as a show of blowing the comment off, "I know I won't and it's the least I can do for what has happened. Now then be off with you. Come back in a week to the main conference room to discuss the matter further. Oh and when you can, I would like you to drop off your father's Forbidden Scroll. I need to look over one of the jutsus in it."

Bowing yet again, saying that he would bring the scroll, and offering another one of his famous grins, Naruto bid the Hokage farewell while slipping out of the room via the doors this time and made his way back home. Oh Rina was going to kill him when she found out he had kept this from her.

 _-The Academy a few days later-_

"Good luck dobe. You're really going need it although we all know you're going to fail yet again," said a certain raven-haired Uchiha Sasuke.

"Yeah, there's no way you can possibly pass with how badly you've done so far," said a pink-haired girl that went by the name of Haruno Sakura.

"It is interesting to point out that you would need a high grade in the third part of the test as well to pass Sakura-san. You did not do that well outside," replied a coat wearing boy with dark black sunglasses covering his eyes known to many as Aburame Shino.

"Shut up Shino! Go be creepy and weird somewhere else!" Sakura mocked weakly, fully aware that her skills weren't up to par in both throwing and hand-to-hand combat.

"Oh shut up Forehead. If you scream too loudly Sasuke-kun will leave us," replied another girl, her blonde ponytail reaching her back. This girl was Yamanaka Ino, the most popular girl at the Academy, and was rightfully haughty as her title suggested.

"You shut your mouth and go snort somewhere Ino-pig!" Sakura yelled back, quite annoyed with once again being made fun of because of her forehead.

This was the scene that Rina thankfully walked out of as she made her way to the room that would hold part three of her final exam. She was very nervous. She would have to do the jutsus perfectly, but in a way that would still make her look like an idiot. 'What to do what to do…" she thought in her head as she opened the exam room door and stepped inside.

"Ah hello Rina-chan. It's so good to see you again," came an elderly sounding voice that Rina knew by heart. Snapping her head to the side, she saw before her in a seiza position with a smile on his wrinkled face none other than the Third Hokage.

"Jiji! What are you doing here and where are the proctors?" she asked happily, her violet eyes flashing with excitement and happiness at seeing her grandfather figure once again.

Hiruzen chuckled at this before bidding her to stand before him, something she did readily, "I am the proctor for the third part of this test. Let's just say I had a small conversation with Naruto a few days ago. I am here to make sure that you don't act like a fool like I know you have been and pass this exam without any funny business going on. Now then shall we get to the test? We don't have a lot of time."

Rina bobbed her head before waiting to be instructed on what to do.

"All right. First perform the Henge no jutsu for me if you would."

Rina nodded and flashed through the signs of dog, boar, ram, and gathering up her chakra easily transformed, a cloud of white smoke forming around her that settled moments later, eventually revealing her as a perfect replica of her older brother. When she released the jutsu she heard a small applause coming from the Hokage.

"Oh that is very good Rina-chan. A perfect Naruto if I do say so myself. Now then, please perform the Kawarimi no jutsu for me."

Just as before but noticeably without the hand signs, Rina switched positions with the chair beside her and smiled up at the Hokage.

"Very well done. That's two down. Now for the last jutsu. Perform the Bunshin no jutsu if you will."

Rina hesitated for a moment at this, raising her hand, "Excuse me Jiji, but Nii-san explained to me that I just have too much chakra to be able to do the technique. He instead showed me the Kage Bunshin no jutsu."

The Hokage raised an eyebrow in surprise at that before smiling towards her, "You know the Kage Bunshin no jutsu? Well then by all means use that instead."

Nodding happily she crossed her fingers to form a 't' and channeling chakra, a cloud of smoke formed around her. When it had cleared as before, there standing before the Hokage were five perfect clones surrounding Rina.

"That is most impressive. Most impressive indeed. You pass the third part of the test with flying colors. Congratulations Rina-chan."

The redhead beamed in happiness at the compliment. Dispelling her clones she then leaped towards the Hokage, offering him a hug, which he readily accepted. "Thanks for doing this Jiji."

"It is no problem my dear girl. Now please send in the next person please. I believe it is Uchiha Sasuke."

Rina scowled at the name before bowing to the old man and exiting the room. After informing Sasuke to go in and getting a malevolent sneer from the boy, Rina made her way over to the waiting area.

There she sat, talking with Hinata before and after she had performed her own third test, waiting for the scores to be posted. When they had both girls walked over and looked for their names. Fourth from the top they both saw Hinata's name, but it took even less time to find Rina's name which was posted at the very bottom of the list, just as she and Naruto had planned it out. Smiling in triumph while ignoring the snickers and mocking words of the others around her, she placed her hands behind her head and made her way out of the Academy, saying goodbye to Hinata as she did so.

Rina moved through the front lawn of the Academy, her mind wandering to unimportant subjects as she made her way out. She hoped all of this was enough to get her on Sasuke's team. She didn't hate the boy personally, but she did hate his attitude. She remembered a time when he had been much nicer, almost carefree in his manner, but after the brutal massacre of nearly his entire family that innocent and relaxed little boy died. In his place was born an avenger whose sole goal in life was to get revenge and restore his clan if what she could read from his mood and words were any indication. Sighing, she realized that not she even officially on his team yet and he was annoying her. Grumbling to herself, she shook off any thoughts of Sasuke and went back to more important things like what type of ramen she was going to get at Ichiraku's.

Completely at ease and humming softly to herself, it was at that moment that fate seemed to decide to spice things up a bit. Rina, hearing someone calling her name from behind her, turned about and eyed the man approaching her. He was a tall but relatively lean man, silver hair dropping down to his shoulders, and a face that appeared to show something she just could not identify. This man was Mizuki, assistant to Iruka who had been her sensie for the last few years of the Academy. He had always given her that look as everyone else did, looking down at her and openly criticizing everything that she did. She disliked the man entirely.

"Hello Mizuki-sensei. What are you doing here? Do you need something?" she asked as politely as possible.

"Oh yes, I wanted to say congratulations for passing your Genin test. I know it's been a tough few years, but as one of your teachers I'm glad to know you succeeded. Which reminds that I need to tell you something that your brother told me if you passed."

Rina raised an eyebrow, thinking over if her brother had even talked with the man once before, but inwardly shrugging she asked, "And what is it he wanted you to say?"

Mizuki grinned down at her, not a happy or carefree grin, but a grin that showed malice and contempt. "He said that when you pass your test he wanted to give you another one. He'll be watching, but won't interfere with this test. He wants you to sneak into the Hokage Tower using as much skill as possible and get out with the Forbidden Scroll he placed in the Hokage's office. After you have to make your way north and he'll meet you three miles outside of Konoha in a clearing to inform you if you passed."

Smiling to herself, thinking that maybe this was what Naruto and the Hokage had been discussing in their meeting a few days ago, Rina nodded her head. "All right. I'll do it. Tonight right?" Receiving a nod from Mizuki she turned around and began to walk away, "This test will be easy peasy. Bye Mizuki-sensei," and leaving behind a smirking Mizuki, disappeared around a bend in the road and was gone.

XxX

Rina was panting heavily. Her limbs were on fire and she could barely walk let alone run. She had run nearly the entire time from start to finish for this test, which had started nearly three hours ago, and the exertion was finally getting to her. Setting the scroll down up against a tree she tried to catch her breath as best as possible. She was near where she had been told to go and wanted to look somewhat presentable to her brother and not look like she was half-dead. After a few more minutes of deep and steady breathing, Rina grabbed the scroll and grunting as she took up the dead weight once more, sprinted lightly the last two minutes and entered the large clearing that she guessed marked the finish line for her.

Standing there in the middle with his arms crossed tightly over his chest was Mizuki, a wide and rancorous look appearing on his face when he spotted her coming out of the underbrush. Moving over to him and placing the large scroll down on the ground, she peered up at him and asked, "Where's Nii-san?"

Mizuki chuckled at the question and just shook his head, "Something came up and he couldn't make it so he sent me instead. Congratulations on passing the test. You passed with flying colors and I'm deeply impressed." Instead of the usual happy tone that one would use in this case, Mizuki voice was filled with nothing but vile and acrimoniously toned words. "Now then, I'll be taking this…" and moving to one knee reached for the scroll on the ground. Knowing how important the scroll was to Naruto, the many jutsus sithin dating back to even the Shodai Hokage himself, Rina quickly snapped her hands forward and pulled the scroll into her arms.

"I'll just take it home for Naruto thank you. He wouldn't want anything to happen to it, Mizuki-sensei." She was getting a weird vibe from the man and it didn't sit well at all in her stomach.

Mizuki sneered at that and reached for the scroll once again, Rina pulling away from his incoming hand and jumping back to put some distance in between their bodies. "Just give it here Rina. Your brother told me he wanted to see the scroll afterwards so that he could put it back in his room where it belongs." Mizuki was only guessing there, but it made since to keep a scroll with so much power in it close at hand if need be. It seemed to be the wrong thing to say though and Rina instantly was on guard, her body language showing a more protective action as she turned her body slightly to the side do as to keep the scroll safe from harm with her own body.

"Nii-san doesn't keep the scroll in his room. He never has," she said, making Mizuki curse his luck before throwing back his head and laughing, the sound filled with utmost malice and animosity. When he had finished his amusement lacking laughter, he stared back down at her and sneered manically.

"Oh you sure are a smart one. Smarter than I thought. Yes, I tricked you. Your brother didn't make this test up nor have I ever spoken with that man. Now! I will have that scroll and you will give it to me!" His body tightening, he immediately lunged forward and with one arm cocked back, delivered a heavy blow to the side of Rina's head, sending her sprawling back and the scroll flying high into the air. Flipping up to catch it, he smirked as he settled on a branch high up in a tree overlooking the clearing, the scroll nestled in his bent arms.

"Thank you Rina for delivering this to me. I couldn't have done it without you. But sadly I can't have any witnesses and you being the only one, I'm going to kill you and take the scroll back to my master, Orochimaru. But before that I want to let you in on a little secret. A very big secret that all revolves around you."

Rina scowled as she hefted herself back up, one hand moving to examine the spot where she had been punched and winced when she felt a painful bump there that would surely bruise over later. Hearing his words about a secret, she guessed what he was about to say and inwardly sighed to herself. Wondering if she could use this situation to get the scroll back, she decided to play along, her voice filled with real pain as she asked, "What do you mean secret?"

Mizuki laughed again, "Have you ever wondered why everyone calls you a demon? Why everyone seems to hate you? You've been lied to! They've all been lying to you your whole life Rina. Since the decree twelve years ago."

"What decree?"

"Everyone knows by now. Iruka knows it, The Hokage knows it. Even your own damn brother knows it and I'm sure he'd do anything to make me shut up and not tell you this haha! The decree is no one can tell you that the Kyuubi is inside you!"

Rina blinked up at the man and feigning surprise, shook her head in denial causing Mizuki to continue, "The fox spirit that killed your parents and destroyed our village has taken over your body! You are the Kyuubi! This is why you've been treated like dirt since you were born! They all hated you for just even being alive! Your brother most of all!"

Whimpering and beginning a limp like gate towards Mizuki, Rina scowled beneath the hair that covered her face. How dare this man say that about her brother. He loved her to the ends of the earth and back. He had always been there for her and she would make Mizuki pay for saying such vile lies.

Stopping just short of the tree, she looked up at him, the hair covering everything but one lone eye. What surprised Mizuki here was that her eye showed neither sadness nor self-pity. All he saw in those dull violet eyes was an inner fire that clearly expressed her anger. It wasn't anger for herself, but one directed solely at him.

"I already know I have the damn Kyuubi in me you prick!" she yelled at him suddenly before charging up the side of the tree, using bursts of chakra in each step to push her body up even faster. Drawing a kunai from her one lone pouch she attempted an uppercut, the point of the blade narrowly missing Mizuki's chin as he jerked his body back at the last moment, getting over his initial surprise in order to avoid getting himself killed.

Sneering at her, he punched out, hitting the girl square in the gut and senther flying backwards. Rina bounced a few times as she hit the ground and there she lay, groaning from falling nearly thirty feet along with trying to regain her lost breath.

Reaching out behind him, Mizuki withdrew a large Fuma shuriken from his back. Scowling down at her said, "I bet if I stayed I would be praised as a hero for this! Die you fucking demon! Rot in hell!" and with that he jerked his arm forward, sending the shuriken whizzing towards the downed Rina.

Rina watched on, her unresponsive. Knowing she wouldn't be able to dodge this she prepared for the hit she surely knew would come, her eyes closing with her arms over her head.

Yet the hit never came.

Among the whirling sound of the shuriken as it drew near there was a loud whizzing and then the loud ping of metal hitting metal. Her body in a daze and wondering why she hadn't been hit, Rina removed her arms from her face and opened her eyes, gasping at the sight before her.

There standing in all his glory, his dark red and black trimmed haori waving out behind him, his long blonde hair cascading out to the side, was none other than her brother standing before her. She couldn't see his face, but the body language he exuded proved to Rina that he was completely and royally pissed off. Struggling to her feet but failing miserably, all Rina could say was, "Nii-san…"

Naruto turned his head, offering Rina only his right eye as he looked at her carefully. "Rina. Are you hurt?"

Rina smiled up at him warmly before nodding his head, "Yeah. Mizuki-teme hurt me and was just about to kill me before you showed up."

"I see…." And Naruto turned his head back towards Mizuki who was showing the obvious signs of one who was scared shitless and knew their life was forfeit. "Mizuki…you're dead…" and Naruto was about to launch himself at the man until his sister's warning held him in check.

"Nii-san wait! He said something about Orochimaru being his master. Maybe you should capture him first." Rina knew all about the great Sannin upon close relations with two of them as well as reading about them in books. She knew who Orochimaru was and how dangerous the man could be.

"Is that right? Well Mizuki it looks like you'll live for a bit longer. Count yourself lucky and thank my sister."

"I-I'm not scared of you! I'll beat you and then become powerful just like Orochimaru-sama told me. You won't capture me!" Mizuki launched himself at Naruto, a kunai in each hand. Naruto merely sighed at the attempt and shook his head at the man's folly.

It all happened so fast to Rina as she stared at the scene before her. One moment Naruto was just there and then the next he was in front of Mizuki, a regular kunai drawn and buried to the hilt in the man's stomach.

Mizuki hadn't known what had hit him. He hadn't even seen the blonde man move and then all of a sudden there was an explosion of pain in his stomach, a fire that just wouldn't go out. Coughing up blood, Mizuki hunched over towards Naruto who of course stepped back and out of the way, letting the man fall face down into the ground. Holding back the desire to kill the man for hurting his sister, Naruto simply hit Mizuki on the back of his neck with the side of his hand, putting him out of his painful misery for the time being. Pursing his lips, he gave a shrill whistle which was answered instantly by the flashing forms of four Anbu members.

"Make sure he gets back to T.I. He has possible information on Orochimaru that needs to be extracted. Oh and tell Ibiki that he has my permission to do what he likes with him. There should be no holding back with this one…" Scowling down at the figure, Naruto walked over Rina after picking up the discarded scroll.

Crouching down, he grabbed her hand and gingerly lifted her up onto her feet. "Are you injured?"

Rina shook her head and smiled up at her older brother, "No. Not really. There's just gonna be some bruises that's all."

Nodding his head in acceptance, Naruto scooped her up in his arms bridal style much to his sister's chagrin and hopped up onto the nearest large tree branch, beginning the short trek home through the trees.

"You didn't have to carry me…I could have walked home," said Rina with a half-protest since she hadn't really desired to walk the three miles back.

Naruto chuckled, "I know, but it's the duty of a brother to annoy his sister and I thought now would be the time for it since you got into so much trouble."

Rina yawned and not bothering to argue with him since she really did not have the strength at all to do so, simply curled up tighter into his embrace, pressing the side of her head into his strong chest and drifted off into a light sleep.

XxX

"Hokage-sama, are you really not going to do anything about this? The girl should be punished for what she did!" cried a man with the jacket of a Jounin. Many of those around him seemed to agree, showing their support with vigorous nods of their heads.

"Why should I? It's not like we lost the scroll and from what I can see it was all Mizuki that caused this. He simply tricked young Rina into believing this was one of Naruto's tests that he sometimes concocts. I'm sure you are all aware how some of those tests can be." There was a low rumble of amusement from many of the people standing in the packed Hokage office. "There is no reason to punish the girl and I will not allow it."

A tall woman with the matching jacket of the many around her stepped forward asking, "Hokage-sama, how did Rina get the Forbidden Scroll? Shouldn't it have been locked up to keep it out of the hands of a person like Mizuki?"

Hiruzen smiled before shaking his head, "It should have been, but as Naruto was so kind as to let me look over a jutsu from the scroll, it had been in my office when I went to the Council meeting a few hours ago. That reminds me. I should return it to him before the night is out. Now then, I think the crisis has been diverted and all is well once again in the world. You may all return home and rest easy."

And everyone did just that, none resting easier than the red-haired girl snuggled up under her blankets after a long and stress filled day.

XxX

A few days later the conference room was packed to the brink. There were countless Jounin there all huddled up into groups as they chatted away with friends and coworkers. Many were wondering why they were there while some knew the exact reason and kept it a secret lest they ruin whatever the Hokage had to say in calling this meeting. One such group stood together, three men and one woman, pressed compactly together so as to be heard over the din of those around them.

One man, a dark and full beard covering his jawline, a cigarette locked In between his lips, and a body exhibiting the strength of a bear, was talking excitedly with another man with whom had his hatai tied backwards as that of a bandana and a wooden senbon sticking out of his mouth. The other man, dressed in a solid green latex jumpsuit, was vividly talking about how youthful his female partner was for finally making Jounin after so long. For her part she just smiled at the compliment, barely knowing what the bowl-cut haired man was talking about, and inwardly scowling at having been stuck speaking with him.

'Curse Asuma and Genma' she thought as she tried in vain to get out of conversing with Gai in the nicest way possible.

It was then that the large oak wood doors opened. Moving through the entrance with his hands clasped tightly behind his back and flanked by two of his advisors, the Hokage entered the room and the chatter within immediately ceased.

Walking purposely to the raised platform at the front of the room, the Third Hokage sat down in a seiza position on his pillow, matching the many others that littered the ground throughout the conference room. Following his lead, all the room's occupants mimicked their Hokage and all stared up at him as they waited for him to speak.

"Thank you for all coming here today. Today is a great day for the village for yet again the time has come for new Genin to be introduced into the shinobi world and new instructors to be selected to teach these young children. I will not force any of you to step forward, but I feel it would be an honor for many of you to pass on what you know down to the next generation. So without further ado, I will ask those that wish to become Jounin instructors to please step forward and say your names so that I may record them." It was here where Hiruzen snapped his fingers and Koharu moved forward, an elegant quill in hand in which she handed to her Hokage before stepping back. Hiruzen prepared the quill's tip with ink and brushing away any drop, peered down at the crowd assembled and waited for any volunteers.

Eight figures stood, three of these being Genma, Asuma, and Kurenai who said their names aloud as indication they wished to become instructors for the next batch of Genin. Carefully writing each name down, Hiruzen then nodded to them all, silently requesting them to sit back down.

"All right then this should work out perfectly. We have nine instructors and exactly twenty-seven possible Genin. Thank you all for volunteering and I am sure you will all enjoy your time together if your teams pass." This statement peaked everyone's interest for they knew that only eight people had stood to be recognized.

"Excuse me Hokage-sama, but who is this ninth person?" asked Kurenai, quite curious as to whom this ninth individual might be.

"Ah well I believe he is running a little late after dealing with a few things but…" and the Hokage stopped when a bright yellow light flashed beside him. The light dissipated as soon as it began and there standing beside the Hokage was none other than Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto, his arms crossed over his chest with a small smirk gracing his lips.

"Ah there you are Naruto-kun. So nice of you to join us. Did you handle the situation you were dealing with?"

"Yes I did Hokage-sama thank you."

Hiruzen smiled, "Very good. I was just finishing up recording the names of the other instructors that will be accepting the position of instructors this time around."

When everyone heard their Hokage say 'other', all eyes within the room besides the notable exception of the Hokage, his two advisors, and of course Naruto, went wide with shock and surprise, staring straight at Naruto. Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto, an S-rank shinobi with enormous skill that was said to match any of the great Sannin and in whom the Third Hokage had announced was to be his successor so long as a certain condition they had made was met, was becoming an instructor to a team of Genin? The news was so shocking that many had their mouths wide open and a senbon and cigarette dropped to the ground beside Genma and Asuma respectively.

"Hmm…this is gonna be fun I think," Naruto said and gave the crowd before him one of his foxy grins that made many of the females within the room blush, Kurenai included.

"I hope so as well. Now Naruto, will you please take a seat so that we can continue with our meeting. I know you have things to do so I will try to make this short." Receiving a bow of thanks from Naruto for that, the blonde searched the room for an empty pillow and noticing one beside Kurenai, he made his way over and sat down in the same position as the rest of them.

Kurenai watched him and when he took notice of her stare offered him a smile and nod, "It's surprising that you're actually becoming an instructor Naruto. I thought your talents would be better spent somewhere else."

Naruto turned his head to look at her before chuckling, "Let's just say the Hokage knows how to drive a hard bargain. There are a few special conditions that were made for me to take this position that benefits all parties. Plus I think it'll be fun. I'm great with kids or so I believe."

Kurenai lightly chuckled as well, the sound having an obvious female influence compared to Naruto's much deeper tone. "Very well. I am glad to be working with you. Perhaps all the new instructors can get a quick bite to eat after this to discuss a few things?"

Nodding his head Naruto responded, "Of course. That would be nice. After this meeting then." With that the two stopped their conversation and paid attention to the Hokage, the meeting lasting for a little over thirty minutes before they were finally let out much to everyone's relief. From there, most of the volunteers who were not already busy decided to accept the lunch invitation and meet at the Yukiniki Q. There they had some delicious barbeque food and discussed the future of their possible teams.


	3. Classic Bell Test

**-A big big shoutout to madeymoody95 for private messaging me back and forth and assisting in the development of the current story. I didn't exactly know what I might do, but with the help of this individual I was able to solidify my story for the most part leading up to the time skip. Thanks a bunch yet again.**

 **-I am currently looking for a Beta Reader, but don't exactly know how to go about finding/getting one. If anyone knows or wishes to volunteer do let me know.**

I do not own Naruto and most certainly will never in the future.

Chapter Three:

 _Four Days Later…_

"Sorry I'm late, Jiji. I got a little held up in some seal work and sorta lost track of time," said one blonde Naruto as he walked into the Hokage's office. Today was the day the new Genin teams would officially be assigned their Jounin instructors and since he already had the two Genin he wanted the blonde had been in no real rush in coming; even after realizing he was already late as it was half an hour prior whilst he had been constructing a potentially new seal.

"It is no matter Naruto. We were just about to start so please come over," replied the old Hokage as he sat behind his desk with various information cards, pictures, and the name of each candidate in bold black ink above.

"Have you told them that two of those kids are off limits yet?"

"I was just waiting on you to do just that." Hiruzen turned. "Now Asuma, Kurenai, while the normal procedure is to allow Jounin to assemble and just pick their candidates altogether, this time around it's a special case. Many of these candidates are clan heirs or in the case of the Inuzuka, children of the current clan head. They specifically requested for you two to watch over their children and I would take it as a great honor that they did."

"And which two are off limits and why?" questioned Asuma as he glanced over the varying pictures before them.

"That would be young Uchiha Sasuke due to political reasons and…Uzumaki Namikaze Rina for obvious reasons as I am sure you can imagine."

The two other instructors swiveled their heads to the side to stare at Naruto who simply shrugged. "Remember those conditions I was talking of Kurenai? Those would be them. That's how this old coot managed to convince me." Every one of them chuckled at the name, even the Hokage.

"Anyways, I believe Naruto should go first since he has only one decision to make to finish off his three-man team." When the Hokage saw the other two incline their heads to show that they agreed, Hiruzen turned to the tall blonde and asked, "Naruto, who will you choose?"

Naruto turned to gaze down at all of the pictures, his eyes flicking to each one in turn while completely and purposely avoiding the information cards. He stared at each face, examined each carefully as might a herder with his flock and it was after a few 'hmms' that he finally made up his mind, giving his answer in the form of an explanation for the benefit of his peers.

"While I would have originally chosen Hyuuga Hinata due to her connection with my sister and thus forming two-thirds of a fully coherent unit right off the bat since they know each other already, I will leave her to someone else. Also I'm very sorry, but I cannot accept a fan girl like those two girls, Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura. They would refuse to work or train and simply watch Sasuke all day." Naruto shot them a warning look. "I would advise they be separated from him at all costs so that they may try and improve without worrying about impressing him so much. In addition to that I see that there are the clan heirs for Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka here so I would advise a second version of the Ino-Shika-Cho combination to form an extremely powerful and well coordinated team as their parents were. That just leaves two choice left to consider. Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino, both tracker types." Naruto paused. "Of the two I believe Shino the more capable in a situation and thus choose him as my third member, Jiji."

The other two had listened intently to the evaluation of each so as to gain a better insight on those they might possibly be training as a team. Hiruzen smiled and, scribbling the name down onto a paper, laid his eyes on the other two, Asuma in particular.

"It has been brought to my attention that Shikiku, speaking for his two teammates, requests that you, Asuma, teach the new Ino-Shika-Cho team. They believe that you would be the most capable of such a task and that they would thrive under your care. I warn you though from experience. This team, if it anything like their parents', is going to need motivation to get them going. Remember that well. Do you accept?

Asuma nodded saying, "Sure I do," before stepping back so as to give Kurenai the floor who was somewhat scowling as she looked between the last remaining three images. "I suppose I will have the last three then. Hinata I do mind in the least, but the other two will require more work. I will have to try and convince this Sakura that being fan girl is not something to be advised in the world of a kunoichi and it could rightly get her killed."

Hurizen nodded resolutely. "Very well then. It seems all candidates have been assigned teams. Let me give you the number of your teams then. Team 7 will be under Naruto. Team 8 will be under Kurenai. Finally Team 10 will be under Asuma. You are to return here in three days and two hours prior to picking up your students so as to get a glimpse of what you all will be dealing with in this bunch. If that is all you are dismissed. All except you Naruto."

When he received a questioning glance from the young man Hiruzen went on, "Your presence has been requested in the private conference room by request of my advisors," giving Naruto a heads up with that last word to indicate who and what he might be having to deal with.

Asuma chuckled at the misfortune of his fellow Jounin and clapped him on the shoulder before leaving out the now open door. Kurenai simply shook her head and offering Naruto a kind smile retreated out the room as well, following after her old teammate.

Naruto sighed and rubbing the back of his head turned to the Hokage, "I suppose we better get going then eh? We don't want to leave those three bags of bones waiting or they might just topple over and die ne?"

Hiruzen growled, "You will remember that I am as old as them so in this case you are calling me a bag of bones as well. Watch your place boy."

"Oh are you? I didn't know that. If I did I would never have insulted the mighty and all knowledgeable Hokage in such a way," Naruto countered, feigning surprise and a genuine apology.

"I would hope not. If you did I believe I would have to knock some sense into the thick skull of yours and show you your place, young whelp."

"And I'm sure I would know my place after that. Well that would be the case if you didn't break your back while just throwing a single punch like I hear that old Tsuchikage geezer does. Honestly Jiji you really must retire. Let someone half your age who's only just reaching the half-century mark take up the mantle."

The Hokage grew a tick mark at that and pointed a menacing finger at the tall Naruto, "I am only sixty-nine boy! Learn some respect!"

Naruto smirked back at him, seeming to have achieved his mission in riling up the usually cool headed old man, but had to return his own rebuttal to finish off his victory, "I will once you stop reading those smut filled books by Ero-sensei! You're just a pervert and don't deserve respect for that!"

At this the Hokage seemed to get a nosebleed, specifically remembering a scene he had been reading that morning that had involved two young women, some leather restraints, and a paddle.

This friendly banter continued for the duration of their trip to the private conference room, but once approaching the entranceway, both men looked towards the other before assuming neutral and indifferent expressions. Once inside, Hiruzen moved to the unoccupied seat reserved for the Hokage between his advisors while Naruto assumed a standing position in front of all four, his posture assuming a non-imposing stance for the time being with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto. We have been expecting you," said Homura simply while glancing at the man in question. "I assume you must know why you have been called here today?"

"Well if I had to guess then I would think this concerns either Sasuke, my sister, or both."

"You are quite correct. We are here to discuss both in turn concerning them on your team," Homura continued.

"And what is it you want to discuss about them, Mitokada-san?"

"It is simple. You will pass Sasuke and teach him everything you know," answered Koharu, cutting in before her ex-teammate could speak. "You have no choice in the matter. "Training Sasuke and keeping your sister in check are your top priorities from this day forth," she added in a smug manner, her lips formed into a superior smirk.

Naruto eyes flashed to her in anger. "Is that right? I have no choice in the matter? And why might that be? From what I can see, the Elders are simply ordering me to do what they want while having no power over me in the slightest. Only the Hokage has the right to command me and even then he knows that I will question something if I feel it is unjust or unlawful. You would force me to share all my secrets and techniques? You would force me to share with him the Flying Thunder God?"

It was here that Naruto then began to state rather than question, laying piercingly cold eyes on all three advisors. "You would have me share with him how to perform the Rasengan, which if you must know is classified as a family jutsu as are my Flash Step and the Flying Thunder God. You would have me show him my ultimate jutsus, or the specially designed ones that have taken me years to perfect. You would even have me share my mastery over seals to him. Correct me if anything I have said is wrong so that I might go back and apologize for my words." He paused and took a breath. "Elders, you presume much if you think that I would willingly hand over a single jutsu or technique that I have mentioned or not in the case of a few. The way of the ninja is to keep one's secrets secret and only reveal them to those you trust. You have no control over me nor will you unless you somehow assume the position of Hokage which I highly doubt any of you will," his gaze shifting towards Danzo for a split second at this final remark.

Koharu was furious with the boy and his words, perceiving them as a threat, "You will listen to us boy! We are the advisors of this village and will tell you what you must do!"

It was here that she felt the full force of a pissed off Naruto. His power had increased over the many years and with it had his ability to throw out his killing intent that, right at that moment, was pressured solely on the female Elder.

"As I said Elder you presume much. You cannot force me to do anything I have no desire to do. I hold more cards on the table than all of you combined. In trying to make me reveal my secrets you not only put myself and my sister at risk, you put the very village at risk and if I was to take a page out of Danzo's book," and his eyes flicked to said scarred man before shifting back to Koharu. "I would see that as a risk to the village and thus would terminate you at this very moment to protect it."

Here the pressure reduced marginally for a moment before utterly disappearing leaving behind a gasping Koharu. "However, I am not Danzo and will never be so I suppose you need not worry about that at the moment. If my words or actions were unclear before, I will not teach Sasuke any of my techniques. If he gains my trust then perhaps I will teach him one, but that is for me to decide and not you."

"And you do not trust Sasuke, a fellow ninja of this village?" questioned Homura. The question held no threatening tone behind it, only exhibiting the words of a curious man.

"At the present I do not, Mitokado-san. Currently Sasuke is exhibiting avenger like symptoms and his mind is solely on the death of his clan and killing Itachi. It would do no good in teaching him my personal techniques for he would simply try and use them to kill his brother. I hold no hate or love for Itachi since I have had only the briefest encounters with the man, but I will not have my techniques used for vengeance or evil. So no, I do not trust Sasuke now but in time, if he fixes himself, I can say I might eventually."

Homura nodded his head, accepting the explanation and reasoning before settling back, but Koharu was still furious at being reprimanded by a mere boy to her and said, "Your parents would be ashamed! They would have done what was right for this village and-" It was then, barely a second after yelling out, that she felt cold steel pressing up against her jugular; the sharpened edge of Naruto's sword urging her to cease speaking.

"Listen to me and listen well Koharu. What I am doing is right for the village no matter how much you wish to contradict it for your own selfish agenda. I can tolerate you criticizing me, however…" and here he leaned down, his lips pressing so close to the back of her ear that she felt his hot breath cascading across her now chilled skin, "I will not and let me make myself clear. I will not tolerate you badmouthing anyone close to me, especially my parents. They gave up their lives for your pitiful one so you would best remember that. Do not insult those I find precious again or this village will be in need of a new advisor. I hope I made myself perfectly clear…" and pressing his blade further into her neck so that a single drop of her blood dribbled down the side of her throat, withdrew himself from behind her and teleported himself in front of the four once again.

As ever the Hokage was impressed with the sheer speed of the man, but clearing his throat as if to release the tension within the room said, "Yes well I think that issue is done with for now. We will move onto the next issue at hand; your sister."

Naruto bowed his head at that before putting on a grim smile, "I will watch over her and make sure nothing happens to her. She is much more than some of you envision her to be and she is no mere tool to be handled nor would I let her be treated in such way. However, if something happens concerning the Kyuubi within her I will use that technique to nullify the effects and return her to normal."

Hiruzen nodded before turning to the other three beside him, "I think that is everything then. Like I said before you are to be here two hours before picking up your students which will be at noon that day."

Koharu, gaining her voice after several minutes of being speechless, cried out, "And Uchiha Sasuke will pass his test! That is not up for debate!"

Naruto, who had turned to leave, looked back over his shoulder at this, the one eye they could all see being dark cerulean and looked so much like that of his father's that three of the people within the room shivered. "I will test my team how I see fit. I will watch and examine each of the three's skill equally and judge accordingly and if I am satisfied, then they will all pass. I believe that sending Sasuke back alive to the Academy is better than a dead Sasuke out in the field. I think you would all agree to that…" and with that and a sweep of his cloak he was gone in a bright yellow flash.

Koharu hmphed, raising her hand up to rub at the slightly bleeding spot where the sword had nicked her skin, "Insolent whelp. He should be put in prison for what he just did."

Hiruzen chuckled. "Ah but we cannot do that. There would be a violent uproar and I will not lie about what happened here today to save face for you," he lightly scolded before removing himself from the conference room quickly followed by Homura.

Koharu turned to the ever-silent Elder and scowled, "Something must be done. If not, I fear Sasuke will leave in order to gain strength with someone who will so that he might kill Itachi. That brat must do what we say."

Danzo turned to his fellow advisor, staring at her long and hard before finally speaking, "It is true, the Sharingan must stay within the village. Sasuke cannot leave. Whether or not the solution is offering techniques to the boy is completely up for debate. If I must kill him and fertilize choice women with his seed I shall. The Sharingan is too powerful a tool and cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of our enemies."

He paused to consider something but shook his head as if getting rid of some idea. "Either way we shall watch and wait. We cannot rush this as I am sure you are aware."

"Agreed," Koharu said before both she and Danzo left the room.

XxX

- _One Week Later-_

Rina walked through the halls of the Academy, pondering over the identity of her Jounin instructor. She remembered how her brother had told her that the students had really only gone through half the actual Genin test at this point and wondered if she too would be one of the many that would actually be sent back another six months.

For making it this far into the Genin exam and sticking to the plan these last few years, Naruto had decided to go out with her on a rare shopping spree and buy her anything she liked. While most girls would have taken advantage of this opportunity, using his generosity for their own materialistic gains, Rina didn't and she only picked out what she thought she would need and nothing more.

Rina now wore a beige colored shirt that had various black rectangles that lined the edges. Beneath that she was dressed up in a solid black shirt along with a sash that encircled her waist keeping her shirt from opening at the front. Under all of this she wore black leggings finished off with a matching, colored pair of sandals. She had no pouches around her thighs, but on the back of leggings there consisted of two pouches for both shuriken and kunai as well a few explosive notes when needed. (I don't think it necessary to describe any of the others for obvious reasons)

Deep in thought and rounding a corner, she nearly crashed into Hinata and drew hastily to the side in order to avoid the imminent collision with the pale-eyed beauty.

"Whoops sorry about that Hinata-chan. I didn't see you there."

"Don't apologize. If it was anyone's fault it was mine for not paying attention to where I was going." Since meeting Rina those many years ago and actually having a friend that wanted to play with her as well as somewhat mellow out her own father, Hinata had since lost some of the pressure that was put on her for being the clan heiress to the Hyuuga Clan. This resulted in that terrible stutter becoming almost nonexistent unless put under greater stress than normal. Without that pressure, Hinata had grown up stronger than she would have due in part to not having to try and impress an emotionless father that pushed her to the brink and rarely gave compliment for her effort. She was not as strong as her cousin, Neji, but she was getting there and drawing closer to him every day.

Rina smiled at Hinata. "How about we chock it up to both our faults and move from there. How have your last few days been? Ready for your new team?"

"My last few days have been great thank you. I've been trying to improve my skills in how far I can extend my sight with the Byakugan. I don't want to be the weak link on my team."

"Same here except for the eye part. I wonder who's gonna be on my team." Rina grinned wickedly. "Let's both beg Kami above not to have _those_ girls with us. It would be amazing if we were together though!" exclaimed Rina, beaming towards Hinata at the idea.

'That would be amazing if we were, but you never know."

"True enough. We should hurry and get to class. We're gonna be late if we don't hurry," and with that Rina grabbed Hinata's hand and all but pulled her along until they reached the classroom. Opening it, they stepped inside and immediately sought out their customary seats in the middle desk on the fourth row. There they sat down and looked around, noticing quite a number of people missing from their average day of class.

"Seems like a lot of people didn't make it," Rina commented as she turned her head this way and that.

"Yes it does. I'm glad we both passed though," flashing Rina a quick smile before the peace and tranquility was sorely evaporated with the arrival of two girls storming their way into the room.

"Just go back to your pigsty Ino-pig! Sasuke-kun would never want someone that snorts all the time!" cried the pink haired Sakura.

"If I snort a lot then you would just blind him with that big billboard brow of yours! Honestly it's so big I wonder how you support it!" cried the blonde-haired Ino.

At that comment both girls seemed to be approaching a breaking point, their foreheads clashing, their eyes on fire, fists raised up threateningly, but all stopped when Uchiha Sasuke walked in. He looked at the two girls pressed up against one another, scoffed, and simply walked to his usual seat by the window where he sat down and stared straight forward, not acknowledging anyone after that.

This type of action had always confused Rina when concerning Sasuke. What on earth could he be thinking about so much on a daily basis? Sure she knew that his entire clan had been nearly wiped out, but he still had his mother with him. Surely he didn't think of revenge that much did he? That would drive someone mad constantly thinking about such things.

Rina was momentarily startled out of her thoughts when the door opened once more and in walked their sensei, Umino Iruka. He had a thin scar running across his face, tan skin, and brown hair that was always tied up into a long, pineapple arrangement. He had been nice enough to Rina, way better than most would treat her, and she had learned more from him than all of her previous senseis combined.

"Hello everyone. Starting today your status as students no longer exists for now you are all shinobi of the village. Among you there are two others that you will be teamed up with to perform missions and work under a Jounin instructor to improve on your skills."

Everyone's eyes wandered around the room, flicking from one person to the next as they tried to guess who they would be teamed up. Both Ino and Sakura's gazes were all on Sasuke, the predatory stares evident.

"We've arranged the groups such that overall abilities are equivalent. I will now announce them. Team 1…"

Iruka continued listing the groups in order of number, giving off the three names per group before moving onto the next.

"Team 7 will be…Aburame Shino, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Namikaze Rina. Team 8 will be…Haruno Sakura, Hyuuga Hinata, and Inuzuka KIba. Since Team 9 is still in circulation so we will move onto the next. Team 10 will be…Ino Yamanaka, Akimichii Chouji, and Nara Shikamaru." Finished with reading off the names he stared at all that with a warm smile. "We will take an hour lunch break before you all return to meet your new instructors. Be safe out there and come visit whenever you want. It's been a pleasure having you in my class."

XxX

Naruto snickered as he turned and saw the blank yet oh so readable expressions on his two fellow Jounins.

"I got the good team all right. Hope you two like obsessive with a side of fan girlidis."

They both looked at him and were obviously peeved. Both pointing rather viciously, Asuma accusingly said, "You knew they were this bad didn't you? You could have warned us you know!"

"Ah but then I wouldn't have gotten to see the looks on your faces. No hard feelings ne?"

Kurenai released a growl at that and all the time scowling, moved over and simply hit the man on the back of the head, "That's what you get. Idiot."

Naruto keeled over, clutching at the growing lump, "Atatatata you didn't have to do that Kurenai. It was only a joke. I'm sure they'll work out fine."

"They better or I'll flay you quick in one of my ultimate genjutsus."

Naruto, not wanting to point out that most genjutsus didn't work on him because the large amount of chakra he possessed could burst out of him on command, simply nodded like a wise man should in the situation and kept quiet.

"So that's the bunch huh? A bit more uniqueness and variety if I have to say anything. Let's see what we can do here eh?" said Asuma as he took a drag of his cigarette.

Kurenai once again growled and snatched the cigarette from his mouth, throwing it out the Hokage's open window. "When will you learn that those things will kill you?"

"When will you learn that they probably won't since I use wind chakra around my lungs to circulate all the smoke out? I'd sooner die of old age than these things."

Kurenai hmphed audibly and began to storm out of the room, but when she noticed no one was following her she turned her head and raised a single eyebrow in a threatening gesture. "You guys coming?"

Both men looked at one another and gulping in unison did what any male under such a menacing glare would do, stumbling after the irate female as they all made their way to their favorite barbeque place.

XxX

Rina stood up from her seat as they were all dismissed for the time being. Looking to Hinata she frowned, "I would ask you to lunch, but I think you should go with your team. It would be a good bonding time."

"I agree while I don't like it. But that is if we can get Sakura-san away from Sasuke-san." Both girls looked over towards Sasuke who had both Sakura and Ino hovering around him as though lions waiting for the prey to come out. When he didn't, both looked at one another before breaking out into argument and a small bit of wrestling ensued. 'Change of plans…'

Sighing, her shoulders slumping and her head bent, Rina once again questioned how some people could possibly pass the Genin test if they acted like that. Turning her head she saw Shino and asked, "I think they'll be here a while so I'll go with Hinata. Would you like to join us for lunch? It would be better there than here…" and she trailed off, watching as Sakura viciously tugged at Ino's ponytail with a maniacal grin.

"That would acceptable thank you. I shall accompany you," and rising from his seat Shino followed Rina, Hinata, and Kiba out the classroom leaving behind two panting and frazzled girls who were still fighting over who was allowed to even look at Sasuke.

XxX

After lunch had ended and all Genin candidates sat once more in their chairs they all waited, talking quietly with one another to pass the time. After around ten minutes had passed, they heard the door creak open and all looked over. There standing at the doorway with his hatai tied backwards and hands in pockets was Genma.

"Team 1. I'm Shiranui Genma your new Jounin instructor. Please follow me." This process continued until finally only three teams of three sat in the room. Being confined in the same room for any multitude of time would make some people antsy or bored. However with this select group, they were all just simply annoyed due in part to the two girls ranting and wailing, trying to impress Sasuke in any way possible. Rina personally actually felt sorry for the boy and what he had to deal with, but did not feel inclined to share her thoughts on that matter.

When all in the room heard the tell tale creaking of the door they all instantly swiveled their heads around, all pleading in their minds that their team would get to get the hell out of this madhouse. However, all desperation on the looks of those looking at the open door instantly disappeared and in its place was shock and amazement, none exhibiting more of each than that of Rina.

Standing in the doorway with a hand in pocket and a brow raised as he stared at the room's occupants stood none other than Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto. Behind him standing with obviously amused expressions were the figures of both Asuma and Kurenai, watching the children while trying to stifle down their own fits of laughter at the scene.

Sighing and rubbing at the back of his head at the reactions due to his presence, Naruto simply said, "Team 7. You're with me. Meet me up on the roof." Turning, he gave both fellow Jounins a wink and before everyone's eyes simply vanished suddenly in a yellow flash.

It was at that moment that all heads turned creakingly towards the still shocked figure of Rina. All wanted to ask, but none seemed to be able to until at long last Kiba broke the silence.

"What the hell Rina?! Why didn't you tell us your brother was a Jounin sensei?!"

Rina just shook her head from side to side slowly, muttering softly, "I didn't know…he never told me."

At this the original silence in the room burst and everyone began to vividly talk with another about THE Naruto teaching a Genin team. It was just insane to them.

Shino was the first to rise from his team and looking from Rina then to Sasuke said, "I believe it would be prudent to not keep our sensei waiting, especially given his reputation." The other two just nodded and as one, the newly formed Team 7 made their way out of the room and headed towards the stairs. As they left they heard a female voice followed by a deep male voice saying…

"Team 8? I am Yuhu Kurenai. If you would follow me please.

"Team 10 you're with me. Let's get a move on.

XxX

All three members of Team 7 made their way up the final set of stairs, all wondering if they really had gotten the Yellow Wraith as an instructor. Rin was flabbergasted that she'd be taught by her brother. True, it wouldn't be the first time she'd be taught by him, but he never had had the official title of instructor like he did now. Shino was carefully analyzing the situation whilst talking to his bugs. They had all freaked out at the presence of their new sensei, informing Shino that his chakra levels were off the roof, even greater than that of his sister, Rina. Sasuke was mentally breaking down what he knew of the man, from the first encounter he could recall from his childhood to the present. The man was a warrior and Sasuke had to find out how he got so strong. He was only nineteen so there must be some secret way he had gotten so powerful in such a short time. If Sasuke could figure that out then…

The three students made their way out of the building and onto the roof, all looking about until Rina spotted her brother relaxing and leaning up against the railing bordering the edge of the roof. As if sensing they had approached, he cocked his head up and pointed to the stairs before him, "Go ahead and sit."

Both Shino and Rina did as commanded, but Sasuke continued to stand, eyes narrowed as he simply stared intently at the tall blonde before him. He was taking in everything from the red hued sword on his back all the way to the numerous pouches that adorned his figure. The man gave off such power even while relaxing and Sasuke had to know how.

"I said sit," Sasuke heard Naruto say and whether it was by his own choice or his body responding to the power behind those three words Sasuke would never know. He just sat down as commanded like the other two of his teammates.

"All right then. As you probably all know, I am Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto, brother to your female teammate. I am to be your new Jounin instructor. Now then I think introductions are in order. How about we say what our likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams are.

Shino raised his hand and being addressed with a nod asked, "Can you give us an example?"

"Well sure. Let's see….I like my sister. I have quite a few dislikes. My hobbies…are fun. And my dream is…none of your business. All right Shino you go first."

'We didn't get anything off him. He did that on purpose' Shino and Sasuke quickly realized.

"Very well. My name is Aburame Shino. I like my bugs and examining bugs. I dislike pesticides. My hobby is to collect new bugs. My dream is to one day find a specific bug and nurture it so that I may be the only one that has ever done so and lived."

"Hmm a specific bug eh? I hope you find it one day then. Next up, baby Rina," Naruto said with a smirk.

Rina growled at him, flashing an 'I'm going to get you later for that' look before sighing and giving her introductions. "I'm Uzumkai Namikaze Rina. I like my brother, friends, and ramen. I dislike people who hate people for things that were not of their own choosing. My hobbies are to train with my big brother and try to out beat him in something. My dream is to one day be recognized by everyone, become a powerful kunoichi, and then whoop my brother's ass."

"And you'll never beat me in anything, little Rina," Naruto teased before turning to the last boy on his new team, "You, duck-butt Sasuke. You're up."

Sasuke immediately grew a tick mark at that comment and immediately snapped up to his feet, trying to appear menacing before the still visibly relaxed Naruto, "Who the hell do you think you are!? I'm no duck-butt! I'm Uchiha Sasuke! I'm one of the last of the Uchiha. Show me some respect!"

Whatever Sasuke was expecting from Naruto, it certainly wasn't the laughter that soon ensued. If one was to look at Naruto they would have seen his head craned back, mouth open wide with tears coming the side of his eyes so hard was he laughing. But then as if he had done a complete one-eighty, the laughter abruptly stopped and in its place stood an emotionless, slightly peeved Naruto staring directly at Sasuke, the power of authority radiating off the man in waves forcing Sasuke to fall back onto his backside.

"You may be one of the last Uchiha, but let me clarify something. There are three of you still in this world. How many Namikaze are left in the world? The answer is two. How many Uzumaki remain after the entire clan was wiped out in a mass genocide by three of the five great nations massing together on them? The answer is unknown, but very few of us remain if that. Your clan isn't the only one that was wiped out and it won't be the last. You want me to show you respect? Earn it Sasuke. I am not like that sniveling Elder Koharu or most of this village that will bow down at your feet and give you anything you want because you're one of the last Uchiha left. If I have to pull rank on you I will, but I'd much prefer our time together to be beneficial. Now then, state your introduction so that we can continue onto our next subject.

Sasuke was to say the least shocked. Throughout his entire life he had never been spoken to in that manner before. This coupled with the fact he'd never heard Naruto like this subdued the boy into obedience for the time being.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I hate a lot of things and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream…because I will make it a reality. I am going to restore my clan and destroy a certain someone."

Both Shino and Rina looked over towards the boy, but it was Naruto's voice that cut through the silence like a knife through butter. "Is that right? You're talking about Itachi right? He was in my class for a bit before he moved up. You're out of your league if you think you can take him. He was a true genius and managed to finish the Academy in a year. Even I might have difficulties with that man. It's good to have a dream, but a dream full of revenge and hatred will do you no good, Sasuke."

Sasuke hmphed at that and looked away, not responding to the jabs at his strength.

"All right then. Now that we know each other a bit better I'd say let's get to the fun part. Tomorrow we will all be going through survival training and if you succeed you will all become official Genin of the village."

"What do you mean become Genin, sensei? I believe we are already at that rank due to passing the Genin test," questioned Shino as cool and collected as ever.

"Oh you did pass _that_ portion of the test, but now you have to finish it. The thing is kiddies, the test is divided relatively in half. You've got the part you take at the Academy and now you have to take the last half with me as your Jounin instructor. It is me you must impress because I'll be making the call if you become Genin or…get sent back to the Academy for another six months. This is a pass or fail test and the likelihood that you will all be sent back is roughly at sixty-six percent."

Both Sasuke and Shino were shocked and that was saying something. Rina on the other hand didn't show an ounce of nervousness or even surprise as her other two companions had. She had already known it would come to this, but had not quite expected the Jounin to actually be her brother. This would be…interesting to say the least.

"Anyways, you are all to meet me at training ground 3 at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning. Don't be late. Oh and don't eat breakfast. You'll just end up throwing it up. See ya," and with that, without even moving from his spot on the railing, Naruto disappeared in a yellow flash.

After a few moments of silence Shino turned to Rina, "Since he is your brother, do you know what type of test he will be giving us?"

"Even I don't know what he is thinking half the time, but I imagine it will be very physical and mentally challenging. He's so into those types of things."

"Very well. I will see you all tomorrow then. Goodbye for now Rina-san, Sasuke-san," and without further ado Shino stood and walked back inside.

Rina was about to follow when Sasuke's voice stopped her, "Rina…how is he so strong…how can he be so powerful and be so young?"

Sighing and shaking her head, Rina turned around and stared at the still unmoving boy, "It isn't my place to say Sasuke. That's for him to tell you if you manage to gain his respect. But I'll give you a hint. It involves people close to you. Just think on it…" and with that she turned around once more and headed off.

"People close to me…? What does that even mean?" Sasuke questioned himself out loud, his mind trying to solve that little riddle while refusing to budge from his seat until he did. Sasuke would not find his answer and after many hours of just sitting there and thinking, he reluctantly stood up and left the now darkened building of the Academy.

XxX

Rina yawned mightily as she sat back against a tree, her eyes half closed. Her expression like the other two around her showed drowsiness, but she knew she had to keep sharp. Who knew what sort of test her brother had conceived. The possibilities were endless really including the possibility that the test had already started and the three of them were just completely unaware of the fact. Still Rina knew one thing. She would prove to her brother that she had what it took to be a Leaf shinobi and make her parents proud.

With that Rina managed to stand while a little clumsily. Turning to her other companions she said, "We shouldn't be sitting. I think we should be as awake as possible. This is my brother we're talking about."

Both boys groaned, but seeing the logic in her words stood up alongside Rina. From there they moved to the center of the field and began a light workout consisting of push-ups, sit-ups, and a few jogs around the field to get their bodies warmed up and their minds as sharp as possible.

It was just after they had finished that Naruto finally showed up, landing elegantly a few feet away with a smile upon his lips. "I see you guys are ready for today. I'm glad. Most teams would have just lazed about and been unprepared at the start of the test being given to them. So then…who's ready for the test?"

He was met with silence, but the eyes of each, despite Shino wearing glasses, showed their readiness and excitement.

"Oh good. I can see that you're all serious about this. Very well then let me give some details about the test." With that he withdrew two silver bells from one of his pockets, the rising sun glinting off the smooth metal as he dangled them for all three to see.

"I'll be taking one out of the Third's and my father's books. Let's call it a tradition of sorts. You three are to try and retrieve these bells before the timer on this clock…" and here he withdrew said clock from seemingly out of thin air, "Goes off."

"But there are only two bells and three of us, sensei," Shino pointed out.

"Hai that's very true. Whoever gets a bell gets to eat lunch, however the loser gets tied up and will be forced to watch as the other two eat. As well, said loser will be sent back to the Academy while I take the final two as my team."

It was here that silence reigned until the audible growling of all three stomachs rumbled their opinions on that score. Naruto merely chuckled and shook his head.

"My my it seems none of you caught on."

"Caught onto what?" questioned Sasuke as he scowled at the tall blonde.

"Well for one thing you three are obviously hungry. That in itself is bad for as ninja you must be prepared at all times to go into battle. This means that you must constantly keep your bodies fueled with the correct nutrients. Without that fuel you can burn out way faster than you would if you had eaten. While it is a shinobi's job to listen to orders and follow them, it is also important to listen and discern what is being said underneath the words. For example, I advised, not ordered, you to not to eat breakfast on the grounds that you would likely throw up. If I had commanded I would have preferred to see you ignore that command because it wouldn't be beneficial for your body. You have to see underneath the underneath and make decisions based on that. Of course I am not saying to just ignore every command given to you, but you must discern if you should or should not follow the commands given to you."

All three took in what he said to heart, knowing each word to be true. Seeing that they understood him, Naruto then went on.

"All right then. How about we start this test eh? It won't be easy I assure you. To even be able to come close to snatching the bells you must come at me with the intent to kill. Anything less and you will fail. Are there any questions?" Receiving none Naruto smiled and placing his hand on the clock, pressed down to start it. "The test begins now. You have one hour. If you don't get these bells by 8 you all fail. Begin!"

With that all three disappeared from sight, all three finding a hiding spot to observe and come up with a strategy in order to try and get a bell. 'At least they're that smart' thought Naruto as he moved to a nearby log, sitting down to wait it out until one of them made a move although he sincerely hoped they would catch onto the main objective in this test.

Naruto didn't have to wait long for the first of his Genin to strike, or more spcifically prepare his assault. Taking notice of the long trail of bugs heading sneakily up the side of his log, Naruto didn't show that he had noticed and merely sat there, waiting. When at last the first of Shino's bugs had found his hand, Naruto instantly shot a load of chakra towards it, easily filling its chakra capacity up and sending the small beetle scurrying away. As if now weary of Naruto, the other bugs stopped their approach and merely watched.

"Nice try Shino. Trying to drain me of my chakra. Although you should know better if what I know about your family's bugs are to be believed."

Emerging from behind a nearby tree, Shino observed the man still casually sitting and nodded, "Yes you are correct. My bugs have discerned you have a massive amount of chakra far higher than any normal human being. That in itself is very interesting, but I have seen the flaw strategy to suck you dry. It is my assumption that it would have taken nearly a full day of constant absorption to get you to a level I could properly combat you."

Chuckling, Naruto rose and without saying anything quickly darted forward, appearing in an instant behind the boy without even the use of his special sandals. Striking out at the middle of Shino's back with a closed fist, Naruto sent the boy flying away before he bounced a landing ten feet away.

"This is something we must improve if you pass this test Shino. While your family's techniques are very interesting and capable in a fight, you rely too heavily on that to keep your enemies at a distance. If an enemy were to do what I just did you would be dead. You must improve on your skills when an opponent is close up. That way you will not be put at an disadvantage when put into a situation where the opponent excels at getting in close."

Shino grimaced at the small amount of pain lacing his back, but nodded his head in a gesture of understanding, "I will make sure to do as you recommended. I will withdraw for now…" and withdrew quickly of that, running back off into the woods.

Naruto stood there and reaching into a front pocket removed a short, rolled up scroll that held various seals he had been working on recently. Unrolling the parchment, Naruto tilted his head down to view his work, searching for any errors that he might have made for in dealing with seals; even the smallest mistake could mean the life of the one working with them.

'If I focus more on the relay seal within my palm to accept the chakra traveling between it and the transmitter, I could possibly have the ability to recollect my alter dimensional room wherever I see fit. If I could do this…I could have the room at my disposal whenever I might need it…hmm but how to alter the flow of chakra so that I don't drain my entire chakra supply trying to connect the seal on my palm with the one at the house…this is problematic indeed…' thought Naruto, biting at his lower lip as he racked his brain for an answer to his dilemma.

During all of this he had been half paying attention to the newest figure trying to approach him stealthily from behind. Knowing exactly who it was, Naruto had made sure to keep her always in radar, but did not give a hint that he knew she was there.

Suddenly hearing the approach of various weapons, kunai and shuriken by the sound of it, Naruto lazily twisted to the side, spinning on his heels as to both dodge the incoming weaponry as well as to allow him to stare straight at the aggressor. Seeing Rina there, arm outstretched after her throw, Naruto sighed and rolling his scroll back up, placed the paper back in his pocket before smirking at his sister.

"You know, Rina, those weapons are very dangerous. We wouldn't want little Rina accidently hurting herself now would we?" Naruto enjoyed teasing his sister. For one thing, she was easily frustrated because of how she looked up to him and wanted to prove to him that she was not weak. For another thing, she wanted to get out of both her father's and brother's shadows and strike out on her own to make a name for herself. She didn't want to be thought of as the little sister or the daughter of those two. She wanted to be known for her abilities and not someone else's. Naruto applauded her motivation and always tried to help her when she appeared she was in a funk or had asked him for assistance.

"Screw you Nii-san! I'll show you how dangerous weapons can be!" With that Rina sprinted forward, legs pumping the ground beneath her as she swiftly closed the gap between them. It was interesting to note in Naruto's eyes that those of the Namimaze line were always fast and half wondered if it was some sort of minor bloodline ability. He would have to examine that theory in the future, however, now was not the time for such thoughts though for as Rina neared, so too did her kunai, the blade bee-lining for his heart.

Continuing to smirk Naruto swept an arm forward in a small, upward jab, knocking her wrist away with his own as he forced the trajectory of the kunai way off target. When her eyes traveled up to follow the path of her weapon Naruto struck, his fist rocketing forward and nailing Rina lightly in the chest, launching her backwards.

Rina knew she had messed up by not keeping her guard up and scowling in displeasure at her mistake, skidded lightly on her heels as she slowed her backward plunge until finally she stopped herself.

"My my Rina. It almost looked like you were trying to kill me there. But I know you wouldn't do that to your big brother now would you?"

"You were the one that told us to come at you with the intent to kill. I was only following your orders, Nii-san…" Rina smirked at the man and once again prepared herself.

Knowing that she was outclassed in hand-to-hand combat due to Naruto's speed, agility, and vast experience in actual combat, Rina knew not to get in close with him for the time being if she wished to actually get a bell. Instead she looked about and noticing a nearby river flowing by the field instantly darted for it. Naruto simply watched her while she moved and casually walked behind her, wondering what she might be up to.

Once near the water Rina jumped forward, landing lightly on the surface of the slowly moving body of water. She waited there, her mind calculating and trying to figure out the best possible strategy to take in this situation. Thinking of something, she watched as Naruto stopped his movement ten feet from the edge of the water, eyes wary of what she might be trying to do.

It was then that Rina started flashing through hand signs at a speed that was way more advanced than an Academy student should be able to go. Flicking from one sign to the next, Rina finished her technique off by performing a half ram seal. Crying out, "Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Release: Violent Water Wave)" and inhaling deeply Rina exhaled a large torrent of water, aiming the move directly at Naruto.

Naruto easily dodged the attack, jumping to the side, but then was soon put upon by ten water clones of Rina all surrounding him before they began to aim kicks and punches at him. Grinning, Naruto easily handled the clones, his fists and legs flying as he moved from one to the next, water spraying out after each water clone dissipated to nothing.

It was while standing there and waiting for the next attack that Naruto felt the sudden tightening of his ankles. Looking down, he saw that a chain of water had suddenly appeared out of the ground and was quickly encircling his ankles to bind them together. Grinning at the trick, Naruto applied a bit of chakra to his legs and drawing them apart, easily broke the jutsu holding him.

"Nice trick trying to use the Suikusari no Jutsu (Water Chains Technique), however, I'll point out that it only works with those that are weak enough for it to hold. Most people won't be held for long so keep that in mind Rina."

Rina, who was close to the bank at this point, grimaced at the failure of her sneak attack, but nodded accordingly to the advice given. Then she smiled as she stared over at Naruto. "Hey Nii-san. I think you forgot something."

"And pray tell what did I forget?"

"Just the water that's around you." Suddenly Rina exploded apart in a burst of water and Naruto wheeled around, cursing himself for failing to realize he had been talking to a simple water clone all along.

It was too late for him to act though for as soon as he spun around, he heard the cry of _"_ Suiton: Shokushu Rendan Kyouran (Tentacle Barrage Furry)!"and out of the water puddles encircling him rose eight long tentacles comprised completely out of water. Each seemingly had a mind of its own and this benefited Rina greatly not having to control any of them. Snapping forward from all sides at timed intervals, Naruto growled as he felt two of the whip like appendages hit him in the back while he had been focused on the initial six in front, feeling the water cut into him. Thinking fast, Naruto spun about at a speed that he wouldn't normally have used in this kind of setting, whipping his hands back and forth, his open palms slicing through the tentacles, halving each one by one at an astonishing rate until finally none survived.

Rina, who had been carefully sneaking her way up to the spot just behind Naruto under the cover of her attack, reached out and tried to grab at one of the swinging bells at his hip. At the sudden departure of her attack around them though, Rina froze for a split second, but that was all the time Naruto needed. Flicking his hand down, he grabbed at Rina's wrist and drawing her up, flung her from him, watching as she skidded across the grassy field a few feet away.

"Nice use of water Rina, but you might want to reconsider your strategy. You won't be able to get a bell like that," Naruto informed the girl, keeping his face dead serious to show her that he wasn't teasing, but was being strictly truthful.

Rina frowned at that and then standing, she turned about and ran back into the woods, her mind coming up with a new strategy on the move; one that would hopefully work out.

Naruto cracked his neck as he watched her go, flexing his body so that he could feel the small cuts lacing his back. 'Those damn things hurt' he thought bitterly to himself before turning about and heading back to his log. Before he could even reach it though, he was yet again attacked, this time by the black-haired Sasuke. Sasuke came in low, his hands on the ground as he spun about upside down, legs kicking out towards the lower half of Naruto's body.

Naruto easily dodged the kick to the back of his legs by jumping into the air. Performing an acrobatic twist, he landed gently, one hand on the ground while remaining in a crouched position. Rising, he scratched at the back of his head and sighed heavily.

"Am I ever going to get a break? You all attacking one after the next is sort of annoying you do realize."

Sasuke scowled at the man and without answering, charged again, his right foot coming up to which was smoothly blocked by the side of Naruto's left arm. Drawing his leg up, Sasuke performed a tight flip in mid-air and going with the move, punched out with his left fist, nearly hitting Naruto square in the jaw before being caught with an open palm. Still not giving up and using the strength of Naruto's grip on his fist, Sasuke cleanly lashed out with his last remaining foot and when that too was blocked, made for the bells dangling at Naruto's side with his free hand. Taking note of this, Naruto easily pushed outwards while drawing himself back, removing himself from the situation, Sasuke only getting a touch of one of the bells for his efforts and nothing more.

"My my, you almost got one there. You're not half bad…for an Academy student that is…" drawled out Naruto.

"I'm not like the others. I'm far stronger!" the ever-superior Sasuke shouted towards Naruto before he jumped back, flying through a long sequence of hand seals. Finishing, he yelled out, _"_ Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!" and inhaling deeply, spit out a stream of fire that engulfed the area in front of him, Naruto included; the power behind the attack leveling a small crater in the ground. Sasuke smirked at the result of his attack, but that expression quickly dropped as he realized there was no body in the crater. Quickly turning this way and that, he began to wonder 'Where is he…left, right, up…no'.

It was when Sasuke felt hands grasping at his ankles that he knew he hadn't thought of everywhere to look and before he could make up for his error, his body was soon being rapidly yanked down into the ground, leaving his head sticking out in order to allow him to breath. Naruto slowly seemed to grow out of the ground and smirking down at Sasuke, crouched and flicked him on the forehead.

"Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu (Suicidal Beheading). Always keep aware of your surroundings and expect the unexpected Sasuke. You'll die if you don't. Never wait to see if your attack actually hit, but move and strike out as though it hadn't. Waiting too long leaves you vulnerable to a counterattack by your opponent. Oh and I won't go into too much detail but…don't underestimate your teammates. Arrogance and thinking yourself superior to those around you won't get you far in life. You still have to kill Itachi right?" and with a smug grin, Naruto moved away from the nearly buried boy, disappearing into the trees.

XxX

It was this that Rina walked into as she was searching for her other teammates. Grinning down at the trapped boy, she raised an eyebrow for his predicament before bursting out into a fit of giggles.

"You seem a little trapped, Sasuke. Need a little help?"

Sasuke growled at the comment, but had to concede that he was in fact trapped and would need help in getting out.

"Get me out of here already. I need to get payback for what that jerk did to me."

Rina sighed and using her Suiton abilities, turned the ground around Sasuke into mud. Reaching down, she managed to find one of the boy's hands under all the heavy mud and heaving, Rina began to drag Sasuke out of the pit and onto dry land.

After a while Sasuke rose from the ground and grimacing, began to try in vain to get some of the mud off his clothing. Watching all of this and seeing the sheer stubbornness of the boy, Rina sighed yet again and tried to explain the situation as best as she could.

"Sasuke, I don't know if you've realized this yet but we can't win against my brother. He's an S-rank ninja for crying out loud and that rank isn't handed out to just anyone you know. How are Genin supposed to beat him and get the bells? That's just impossible. I think that's the point he's trying to get across to us, " and here Rina paused to let the words sink in before continuing on. "If we go at him separately we won't be able to win. However if we go at him together we might have a really small shot at getting the bells. I'm not saying it will easy, but it's possible. We only have maybe twenty minutes left before the timer goes off and we need to hurry."

Sasuke clearly saw the reasoning behind Rina's theory on the test and, even though he didn't want to, decided the best way to get one step closer to Itachi would be getting through this test.

"Fine…how do we do this?"

"We first have to find Shino. He's essential to his plan."

Sasuke nodded and following after Rina, the pair hurriedly made their way through the forest in search of their lost companion.

XxX

Naruto yawned mightily as he sat back against the log, his body as relaxed as can be and he wondered if they had somehow figured out what this entire test was about. He sure hoped so. This team would be fabulous if he could get the kinks out of course. During all of this musing, Naruto easily sensed the three behind some of the trees bordering the edge of the field. They were good at hiding true, but in the presence of someone like Naruto they just weren't good enough. He knew they knew they only had less than five minutes left and they would have to hurry this up if they even wanted a shot at getting the bells.

Knowing that something was to come, Naruto yawned one last time and rising from seat, stood to his full height. Scanning the trees, Naruto suddenly heard a buzzing beneath his feet. Looking down, he could see countless bugs beginning to dig their way out of the dirt and every time one did, it would instantly spring aloft into the air and start attacking Naruto's skin. Naruto growled at this, swatting at the bugs and trying not to harm them as much as possible. During all of this, little did he know that with the use of the bugs, Shino was essentially jamming Naruto's sensory abilities.

Judging it was time, Shino communicated with his beetles that then communicated with each of their kin on the arms of Shino's teammates through the release of chemicals. Taking the signal, both moved in quickly, sprinting across the field towards the figure of Naruto swatting and beating at the air to get the bugs away. Looking towards one another, they both nodded before Rina flashed through various seals and yelled out _"Suiton: Mizurappa (Violent Water Wave)!"_ sending a torrent of water in the direction of the ground beneath Naruto's feet. A moment later Sasuke used a fireball and firing it at the same place, the two jutsus collided, sending a cloud of steam high into the air.

Naruto instantly stopped his frantic beating of the air and was on guard the moment he saw the two jutsus being launched in his direction. When he had been expecting both attacks to aim for him, he had not expected them to be aimed to collide near him and was initially blinded by the hot steam gushing out in all directions. He heard the sudden whizzing of kunai as they passed through the steam coming at him in all haste. Ducking beneath where he expected the kunai to be level wise, he was glad that he had as they flew right above and narrowly missed him.

Another salvo of missiles came straight at him next, this time from above and rolling away and out of the cloud of steam, Naruto looked around. What he saw startled him. Standing there in front of him were all three of his Genin just staring at him in a group, Rina beaming, Sasuke smirking, and Shino looking as collected as ever, but if one was to look carefully, they would see an ever so slight curve out of the corner of his lips.

Blinking in confusion, he reached down to his side and feeling the absence of the bells there he gave the group a questioning look. At this, a cloud of insects came out of the steam, descended upon Shino's hand and parted, revealing the pair of silver bells. Naruto knew instantly what they had done. 'They made me believe that the bugs were just an annoyance and a distraction, convincing me to focus on the two jutsus being thrown at me. With the steam and my focus on high for any incoming attacks, I never noticed the bugs chewing at the bell strings and flying away with them. These kids are good'

"So looks like you got the bells. Who gets one?" Naruto questioned, hoping that coming so far they wouldn't make a big mistake.

Shino stared down at the bells before simply handing one to either of his teammates. "The entire point of this test was to try and separate us so that we would focus on getting a bell individually. This was not possible due to your reputation. In order to retrieve the bells we needed to work together as a team to achieve that end goal. So to complete this test, I will hand over these bells while still running the risk of being sent back to the Academy."

Rina grinned at Shino before tossing her bell at him to which he in turn caught. "There! We each managed to get a bell. Everyone wins."

Naruto chuckled at his sister's antics before nodding his head, "That you do. That you do. I'm impressed and that's saying something. I guess I should say that you all passed but I think you already figured that one out. All right then! I will now officially say that from now on, we are now known as Team 7 and will be going on missions together as a team."

Rina cheered while the other two stood there looking highly pleased with themselves. Naruto smiled at this, wondering how far this team would go. Coughing to gain their attention and thinking their food might be a bit cold at this point, Naruto simply asked.

"All right. Who wants some ramen?"

XxX

 **And that wraps up this chapter. I just love writing out fights. It gets my brain juices a flowin' Hope you enjoyed it too!**


	4. Land of Waves I

**How best to start a new chapter than with a classic? I'm also changing it up a tiny bit to give the kiddies some rest. And for everyone asking, I decided as the author of this story to make Koharu like she is currently. I do know how she is supposed to act and purposely chose not to do that here.**

I do not own Naruto and nor will I ever.

Chapter Four:

A single figure crouched low in the underbrush, keeping her body completely still lest her target realize her location. Reaching up with a single hand and trying her best not to make a sound, the girl continued to stare at her target whilst pressing the side of her headset to speak with a low whisper of a voice.

"This is Foxy, arrived at point A."

She did not have to wait long for another voice to be heard, the voice level and monotone as always. "This is Beetle. I have arrived at point B"

"What about you Duck-butt? What's your position?" asked a much deeper male voice over the headset. This particular man was currently sitting back up against a tree in the nearby area, completely at ease as he managed his team's affairs on their latest mission.

"This is…Duck-butt, Eagle. I have arrived at point C and am ready for the signal to attack."

There was a very recognizable giggle heard over the headsets, which only contributed to Duck-butt's ever growing tick mark of annoyance. "Bet you regret letting me come up with the codenames now, eh Duck-butt.?"

"Quiet Foxy. All three of you are in position and ready to move onto the next step. On my count you strike." The man didn't even wait for a reply and simply went on to say, "3…2…1…Go!"

There was a rustle of leaves, the throwing of kunai attached to a large net, followed quickly by the high pitched 'meows' coming from the target now trapped beneath the thrown netting. Standing on either sides of the net with pleased expressions adorning their faces were none other than Rina, Shino, and Sasuke. They had been at this mission for the last few hours and their prey, the ever-infamous Tora the Cat, had managed to slip out of their grasps each and every time up until now. Now the cat huddled meekly beneath the net holding her in place, glancing from one of her captors to the next with narrow eyes.

Naruto, having heard the happy sounds of his three young Genin, casually walked out of the tree line and towards the group. "Very good team. It wasn't the best mission I've seen with Tora, but it wasn't the worst. Now all we have to do is deliver her to the client without another escape. Rina, I'll let you sit this one out carrying the package since the cat doesn't seem to like you very much."

Rina scowled at this and reaching up, gingerly touched the scratches she had received over the duration of this mission. It was true. This cat and many others alike never seemed to like her and lashed out violently when she got too close to them. Naruto and she could only surmise as to why they reacted so viciously on the fact that she held the greatest and most feared demon in all of existence stored within her belly; a presence all the animals seemed to sense and fear. So of course animals would be afraid and hate her and unfortunately for Rina, sometimes the experiences like this one were quite painful. Sometimes there were quite comical to those around her such as when Rina was dragged around for a straight five minutes by three massive dogs she had been handling at the Inuzuka compound.

Carefully pulling back the net so that only one possible escape route was clear for the cat, Shino slowly reached in and wrapped his arms around the feline, pulling her out carefully. Secretly placing a few of his bugs onto her to sap away her strength, Shino turned to the rest of team and nodded his head to signal he was ready to go.

Upon seeing the display of readiness, all turned and began heading west towards the village, the three younglings wishing to finally end this cruel and hot day before they dropped dead on their feet. The effort they had had to exert that day for a simple cat was astounding and all three just wanted to finish up the mission and finally get some well deserved rest.

This was not to be, however, for the poor pre-teen Genin. Just as they were about to actually enter the village through the open main gates, they all heard Naruto's voice bidding them to stop. When they did, looking back over their shoulders at him, they instinctually shivered at what they saw. If it had been anyone else the three would have questioned why they were receiving a somewhat malicious smile from their sensei. However, since having been a team for the last few weeks the team had come to associate that wicked grin as Naruto with an evil and horrible idea, horrible for the kids anyways.

"All right team. We have to deliver the delivery to the mission hall. That is your destination, but to make this mission even more fun I want you all to do something for me."

At the confused looks he was receiving Naruto chuckled evilly and went on, "Until you step into the mission room, you are not to walk upright in between here and there. You will use the tree-walking technique we've gone over to walk sideways on walls, upside down, and any way else you can think up without walking upright. This will increase your chakra capacity while at the same time raising the level of chakra control you now possess. If you should fall and land on the ground, all three of you will return here and start the process all over again."

 _-Flashback-_

It had been a few days since the team had officially become Genin and during that time they had wondered why they had ever wanted to gain the rank. Unlike the grand and dangerous missions they had envisioned taking now that they were ninja, walking dogs, babysitting, and collecting groceries for a civilians were definitely the farthest from what they had thought they'd be doing. When they weren't doing the pitiful and aggravating D-rank missions, they were going through teamwork exercises in order to work on their cooperation and teamwork between the three and their sensei. Naruto was very insistent on correct formations and following orders, but also felt that occasionally interfering with those battle strategies in unusual ways would increase the reaction time and strategic thinking within the minds of his Genin. This is how he had ran his more advanced teams and until the final mission with ranks higher than Genin, hadn't returned to the village with more than mere scratches due to the capability of the team under him and how he taught them to perform.

It was here, along the edge of training ground 3 that Team 7 stood waiting for their sensei. He had a habit of appearing at the specific time indicated, but never knowing if he would keep to that schedule they all always arrived early. Right as 7 a.m. hit there was a bright flash and out of the light emerged Naruto, a smile set on his lips as he gazed down at his team.

"Well good morning my little kiddies. How was your night? Hope you got a lot of sleep because I think you're going to need it today."

Sasuke glanced up at the blonde man and asked what they were all thinking, "What do you mean?"

Naruto chuckled before shifting to the left and walking purposely towards the nearest tree to him. Upon reaching it he placed his right hand onto the bark and began to speak.

"We won't be doing any missions today. Today, we'll only be training with a technique that will greatly benefit you as ninjas. This technique is beneficial for its effects on our chakra capacities and how well we control that chakra. With an increase of control, ninja like us can use more jutsus by applying the bare minimum a jutsu requires to be activated. This technique is called the tree-walking exercise."

Shino and Sasuke gave their sensei a questioning look, both showing dubious expressions in what they were hearing. How could climbing trees do all that?

As if reading their minds Naruto chuckled and shook his head, "I can see your doubts in what I just told you. I don't mean climbing trees with your hands. For this exercise one uses his…"

"Or her!" interrupted Rina indignantly.

Naruto blinked at his sister for a moment and then sighed exasperatedly before going on. "Uses his or _her_ ," and here he gave his sister an annoyed look, "Feet to climb. Let me demonstrate."

Turning his back to them while staring up at the tree, Naruto raised his leg and placed a flat foot onto the bark. Looking back at his three students, he grinned and then raising his other leg, placed his second foot onto the tree as well now standing completely horizontal to the ground beneath him. Not stopping there, Naruto proceeded up the tree as though he were walking on land, climbing until he had reached a large enough branch to support his weight and hang upside down with.

Staring down at them from his perch, Naruto reached back into his back pouch and removed three regular kunai, flicking them down at the trio right before their feet. Letting the level of chakra lessen in his soles, Naruto dropped and flipping in mid-air, neatly landed on his feet.

"All right then. Your turn. The key to this exercise is to focus chakra in your feet and control the amount needed. I will give you all a hint. Too much in your feet and you'll destroy the bark under you and be exploded back. To little chakra and nothing will happen. Now get to it."

With that three heads nodded and picking up a kunai each turned to the trees and focused hard. Once they thought they might have the necessary chakra, all three exploded forward and charging up their respective trees, placed one foot after another. The result of each attempt was vastly different for the trio with Shino managing five steps, Sasuke three, and Rina surprisingly just running all the way up before landing on the same branch her brother had and sitting down, smiling cheekily at the boys far below her.

"What the hell!? How did you do that?" Sasuke yelled at her, not having expected her to do the exercise in one attempt especially since all he saw her as was the dead last loser.

"Oh I guess I was just lucky," and getting up from her seat, Rina casually walked down the side of the tree slowly as if to emphasize her proficiency in the exercise. Upon touching down, she smiled at her brother before walking over to him.

"Very good Rina. It seems you remember how to tree-walk. Since you've reviewed that exercise I want you to go review the water walking variation. If you've reviewed that enough please run around the field at full speed until you can't anymore in order to increase your endurance and speed."

Turning to the other two Naruto smiled, "Please keep this up until you get it. I'll be back to watch over you once I have a word with my sister. Carry on," and with that left them with Rina accompanying him.

Sasuke was furious as he gazed at both their backs, trying to figure how she had done it so fast. Then when he remembered that Naruto had said about reviewing the exercise Sasuke became even more infuriated. How did a dobe that had been last in their class for so many years do something Sasuke couldn't? It just wasn't possible. Turning back to his tree, anger filling his body, Sasuke launched himself forward and began the exercise anew, achieving two steps this time, which made his mood worse.

Naruto walked with Rina to the river. There Rina turned to her older brother before scowling, "Was it really important I do that in front of them? You know how Sasuke will get."

"I know but in the long run this will be better for him. Sasuke needs a rival in his life. He needs someone to try and strive to reach. I want this person to be you Rina. Sasuke sees you as someone that's been at the bottom and way below him. But from what he just saw he'll strive to become better all the more. How could he lose to the dead last eh?"

Rina chuckled and nodded, "All right. I trust you Nii-san. But don't do it too often."

"Sure. Now get to your exercises. I want to see you sweat!" Grinning at her, he watched her off before proceeding back to the two boys.

As Naruto approached, he saw Shino climbing up roughly half the tree before exploding backwards. For Sasuke, he was still only going up two steps before being thrust away from the tree's side. Sighing, Naruto raised his hand for them to stop.

"Both of you are using way too much chakra needed for this exercise. Strive for that bare minimum and grow accustomed to using that exact amount of chakra every time. Shino, you're getting there and just need a bit more work. You don't have as much chakra as Sasuke here because a lot of it is going to tending to your bugs within your body. That is a common occurrence within your clan and I will try rectifying it by increasing your capacity while under me."

Naruto then began to address the other boy. "Sasuke, like Shino you're using more chakra than needed. I can also tell that you're mad about Rina doing what you cannot am I correct? Let me tell you she is more than what you think." And Naruto went into lecture mode. "One of the keys to this exercise is not only on the amount of chakra used, but also staying clam. Anger will only hinder you here. You must control your emotions in not only this, but as a shinobi in general. There are times where emotions are needed and there are times where they are not. Do not let anger, resentment, or any other negative emotion control you. That is my warning to you Sasuke. Now… calm down and focus."

Sasuke growled at this, his eyes shifting from Naruto back to the tree in front of him. While he didn't want to admit it, his sensei was right and if that was the way to get this exercise down Sasuke would do it. Closing his eyes he breathed in, holding the breath for a few seconds before finally letting it out. He repeated this over and over until he felt he was at an acceptable level of calmness. Flicking his eyes open, he stared at the tree and focusing his chakra in the soles of his feet ran towards the tree and placing one foot after another onto the bark, managed five steps his time before being launched back.

Landing on the ground on all fours Sasuke grinned at his slight achievement before trying again, this time achieving six steps. After each successive attempt, Sasuke slashed at the tree bark with his kunai, placing a cut where he last been before flipping back to the ground.

"Very good Sasuke. I'm proud of you. Now keep it up until you get it down. I have faith you can do it. Remember what I said."

Naruto would never know how much of an effect his words had had on the Sasuke. From that show of faith and Naruto expressing his pride in the boy, Sasuke was given everything he had wished from his own father in whom had never given what he had desired.

Swelling with determination, Sasuke made sure to prove himself in Naruto's eyes and returning back to his tree began the exercise anew and with more effort than ever; always remembering to remain clam through it all.

XxX

 _-Back to the Present-_

All three of the Genin looked horrified at the addition to their mission, which had been hard enough trying to catch this damn cat. Now they had to keep possession of said cat and use chakra the entire way from the gate to the Hokage Tower and within. Damn evil sensei and his horrible ideas…

"You're evil Nii-san…" Rina said, guessing how tiring this would be. Due to her high chakra capacity, even with her skills in chakra control she could only control it so much. To hold something that massive like her chakra at bay was taxing and she would get tired from this exercise not from chakra expenditure, but at the sheer effort of controlling it all.

"I didn't say you could talk. Now get to it!" Naruto commanded yet there was still that malicious smirk set on his lips as he gazed at the three Genin before him.

Grumbling, they nodded their heads before looking around for a place to start. Seeing the side of the wall, all three of them proceeded to stepping up to it. After a moment of becoming horizontal, Shino tightly holding onto the feline who was surprisingly remaining docile, they began to make their way along the inner wall and towards the nearest crop of reachable structures.

Naruto watched them go and was about to move on towards the Hokage Tower when he was stopped by two voices.

"You really are evil, Naruto-sama," said Kotetsu who had been with gate guards for the village for what seemed like an eternity. The man has long, spiky, black hair and a strip of bandage running across the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah, they're going to hate you after this, Naruto-sama," said the partner and best friend of Kotetsu. Izumo wore a blue cap with the Leaf hatai sowed into the fabric and only one eye could be seen due to the other being covered up with a long bang of hair.

"I may be harsh and they hate me after this, but they'll thank me eventually. Now don't you two have a gate to be guarding, I see a couple traveler coming up the path."

"Hai, Naruto-sama," and with that they prepared for the latest batch of travelers incoming. Turning on his heels, Naruto simply left them and began his walk to the Hokage Tower where he would be awaiting the arrival of his team.

XxX

The team was making good progress. They had managed to find a building close enough to jump to from the wall, although jumping sideways was slightly awkward at first since they didn't practice in it. From there they had traveled along the sides of various stalls, restaurants, and other structures all the while receiving glances from everyone that saw them and a few glares from some that saw the demon brat. The team was so focused on what they were doing that they never noticed any of the stares they were receiving.

It was at one point approaching the Hokage Tower that the team came to a sudden impasse. Reaching the end of one building they saw the space in between them and the wall surrounding the Hokage Tower and knew that they wouldn't be able to cross that span of open air.

"Dammit. We can't get across this way. We're going to have to double back," cursed Sasuke as he tried to formulate the quickest route to take.

"It appears so. We might want to hurry as well. Only a third of my chakra levels remain. I do not know how long I will be able to keep this up as well as hold onto the feline."

Rina was fairing no better than her teammates. While not low on chakra, her focus on controlling it was slowly slipping and soon she wouldn't be able to maintain the amount of chakra she was putting out.

"We should go back to that noodle shop. It would be the shortest way possible at this point," Rina said, examining the situation in front of them.

Surprisingly Sasuke didn't refute the idea. "Agreed, let's hurry."

They turned around and began making their way back to the shop. Once there, they jumped to the building opposite it and proceeding along, jumped and turned, moving through the many streets of the village while remaining horizontal.

Once they had reached their designated target, the structure closest to the tower's wall, they jumped from it to a tree and then from there to the wall. It was here that Rina momentarily lost control of her chakra. Landing on the side of the wall, Rina stumbled and began to fall.

It was the sudden grip on her wrist that stopped the impending outcome of her sudden loss of control. Blinking away her surprise and letting her gaze drift up from the hand holding onto her, she found the face of Sasuke staring down at her.

"Come on Rina. Now's not the time to be a dobe. Get up!" Sasuke cried out at her through gritted teeth of exertion, startling her from her daze long enough for her to swing with Sasuke's arm and plant her feet back onto the wall.

Nodding her head, Rina simply said, "Thanks," before they all started once again towards the Hokage Tower. After managing their way inside of the wall, they managed to jump from it to the actual Hokage Tower before they met their second impasse. The normal tower guards stood between them and the main entrance of the building and were blocking both sides of the door.

Grumbling at this, the three stopped at almost level to the pair and it was Rina who asked, "You're not going to move are you?"

Receiving two smirks in answer Rina sighed and turned to her companions, "Looks like we're going to have to go over them."

Growling at the pair hindering their progress and adding to their stress, the team moved so that they were standing above the doorway and facing towards the ground. For them, this next step would be crucial for unlike the other obstacles, this one, the extended ledge over the main entrance, required the ninja to have to maneuver accordingly with their chakra output or fall to the ground below.

Looking from one to the other Sasuke went first, moving until he stopped just short of the door's ledge. Bracing himself, knowing this could be risky, he released his feet from their hold on the wall. Immediately his body began to fall, his body moving to the more comfortable head first fall and it was there that Sasuke once again activated chakra to his feet, linking him onto the top of the door frame. Breathing sharply as one wrong move could have cost him, Sasuke craned his neck to look up at his teammates to signal for the next person to move.

After the two had succeeded in the same movement thankfully with no errors, they began to make their way along the hallway ceiling within. The trio was beginning to breath harshly from the exertion they were going through. The two boys were very low on chakra and feeling slightly dizzy from forcing their remaining chakra into their feet. Rina was losing focus more and more, her feet releasing their hold for a split second before she resumed the hold after recognizing her error.

Like this, struggling to keep up their efforts, did the three finally make it to the mission hall. Once crossing the threshold, their legs wobbling and their faces showing the strain, they just fell without a care in the world, falling onto their backs where they lay panting for breath.

It was the clapping that roused the three from their stupor. Groaning and still breathing rapidly, they arched their necks up and grimacing from the effort, they saw their sensei there with a happy grin on his face. Behind him sat a an amused Hokage with pipe in hand.

"Very good guys. I'm very proud that you guys managed that. I bet you all hate me now don't ya?" From the dirty looks he was receiving he knew that his statement was true and just continued on. "Congrats on getting here though. Now all you have to deliver your package to finish the mission. Everyone up."

For a moment Naruto thought they might resist, but slowly they rose, their forms first moving to their hands and knees and then unsteadily raising themselves up in a bent over fashion.

The Hokage thought that maybe he should intervene, but the look Naruto gave him stopped the old man from assisting the three. Sweat beading from their forehead, their bodies shaking violently, all three moved forward and after a few moments stood before the Hokage's desk.

"Lady Shijimi, would you please enter," asked the Hokage to the nearby open door. Not even a split second after he had asked for her presence the portly woman was rushing through the doorway, making an obvious beeline for Shino holding her pet. Immediately taking her from his arms, she death gripped the cat to her bosom, moving this way and that as she hugged her precious Tora. On the look of Tora's face, even Team 7 who had cursed and spat out her name was showing signs of sympathy for the poor animal forced to undergo such harsh torture at the hands of her owner.

'I don't blame her for running away…' Rine thought to herself.

"Oh thank you Hokage-sama, children. I'm so glad to have my little Tora-chan back! She gives me a heart attack every time she does this to her poor mommy!" Lady Shijimi exclaimed while upping her frantic death hugs. "I will make sure the money comes in within the week as always, my dear Hokage."

After the wife of the Fire Daimyō had left, Naruto turned to his team and saw them once more on the ground; seemingly unconscious from the effort they had given that day.

"Hmm…seems we won't be doing anything more today…guess I better take them home. We'll be back tomorrow for another mission, Jiji."

"Don't worry about it. They did fabulous today especially with that exercise you put them through." It was here Hiruzen gained a smirk not unlike Naruto had given his team a few hours ago. "Maybe we should make this a requirement for that particular mission…"

"Oh I like how you think Jiji. And they wonder where I get it. Hah!" said Naruto before he produced two shadow clones and picked all three children up.

"See ya Jiji!" and with Naruto and his team were gone leaving the Hokage smiling at his surrogate grandson's antics.

XxX

The Naruto clone walked through the streets of Konoha carrying the unconscious form of Sasuke within his arms. Giving his greetings to the many he knew, Naruto made his way over to the almost deserted Uchiha complex to drop off his young charge.

Moving through the deserted dirt paths, Naruto looked about and observed the slow, but noticeable decay of the area. Paint was chipping. Windows were shattered where the local kids decided to invade the usually off limits area. There were even a few spots here and there where dried blood caked the ground or occasional signpost indicating where an Uchiha had fallen at the hands of Uchiha Itachi. The whole area was a ghost town and Naruto once again wondered why Sasuke and his mother stayed in the eerie place.

'I suppose they want to remember what it was like before the massacre' Naruto pointed out to himself as he rounded a corner and made his way to the more family friendly area of the complex. When at last he had found Sasuke's house, he was greeted with the sight of Uchiha Mikoto, who had been like an aunt to Naruto and Rina since the death of their parents, working on the garden outside her home.

When calling out to her, he watched as she turned questioning eyes to the visitor and a happy smile immediately graced her lips when she saw who it was. That smile diminished slightly when she saw her son unconscious in Naruto's arms.

"Oh hello Naruto-chan. I hope you didn't hurt him too much today," Mikoto said waving her small shovel at him, feigning anger on her son's behalf.

"No no they were just doing the Tora mission and some advanced tree-walking exercises is all. Nothing too harsh. And do you have to call me chan? I'm not a kid anymore you know."

Mikoto smirked and merely took Sasuke from Naruto, "You'll always be little to me, Naruto- _chan_."

Uchiha Mikoto was a beautiful woman even among the standards of kunoichi. She had black eyes and with matching hair as like all Uchihas. Even in her thirties, her figure was that of a woman in her early twenties, which did not go unnoticed by the male population of Konoha trying out their luck on the now single mother. Of course she denied all attempts on her kindly enough. If a man was too stubborn to stop bothering her though, they were instantly reminded of who they were talking to, the Fire Goddess of Konoha. Let's just say the man would never be able to sit down correctly for a month after the experience.

Naruto scowled at the woman, an expression that did not go unnoticed by Mikoto who answered with a small laugh as she guided Naruto into her home whilst carrying Sasuke to his room. After reassuring herself that he was all right she proceeded back out into the kitchen where Naruto sat looking around.

"I haven't been here in ages," Naruto pointed out as he swiveled his head to stare at his aunty figure.

"Well maybe you should stop by more often then Naruto-chan."

"Perhaps but I'm usually busy with my team or my other duties so it's hard to find time to visit," Naruto said with a frown.

"Oh yes. I should feel quite honored that the great Naruto-sama has gifted me with his presence," teased Mikoto as she poured a glass of water for the young man.

"Yeah yeah whatever. Anyways I'm here for three reasons. One, to bring back Sasuke. Two, to visit my amazing aunt Mikoto. Three, so that we can possibly discuss Sasuke."

"And what would you like to discuss about Sasuke," questioned Mikoto although she had an inkling of what Naruto might be referring to.

"His wanting to avenge his clan and kill Itachi. It's not helping him at all and it's hurting the teamwork I'm trying to instill on my team."

Naruto sighed and saw down at the kitchen counter. "He's just so caught up on proving himself superior and the very best that he sometimes completely ignores formations and just goes all in himself. It could lead to not only the death of himself, but also his teammates and I can't have that as both a human being nor a shinobi of the Leaf."

Mikoto sighed and leaned her back up against the counter, thinking hard. "I know. It's gotten even worse lately. I don't know why and I can't seem to do anything about it."

"Ah…that might have been my fault. You see…when I first introduced the tree-walking exercise to them, Rina sort of did it in one go and that really got Sasuke pissed off. I wanted him to have a rival true, but I wanted the rivalry to be more good-natured. Now I feel like Sasuke will never stop because of that inferiority complex he has and…" At this Naruto looked down to the glass of water in his hands, a frown finding his lips.

"I know it will be hard to fix Sasuke, but if anyone can do it it's you, Naruto. The only people Sasuke has ever looked up to are his brother and you ever since he was born. No one else has really been able to crack that shell of his, which has gotten worse ever since the…that night." Here Mikoto hesitated as if reliving that night in her mind.

Naruto knew not to crowd her in this case for she needed to make peace with what happened without feeling pressured. He also knew that she needed a comforting presence and reaching out, he gently clasped one of her hands and smiled up at her, "Don't worry. I'll try my best with Sasuke. I think Rina might help with that too. We'll get through that shell of his eventually have no fear. It's best not to force this all at once and just take it slowly."

Mikoto nodded and gripping Naruto's hand a bit harder for just a moment, released it and smiled at the blonde, "Thank you Naruto. That would mean the world if you could help. It also helps to know that he is being watched over by a strong shinobi like you."

"Of course. I'll make sure nothing bad happens to him. That's a promise."

Nodding, Mikoto hugged Naruto as he stood up and offered him one last kind smile. With a single wave of his hand and a message for Sasuke to meet his team at the mission hall, he disappeared in a burst of smoke and was gone, leaving behind a reassured Mikoto and a slumbering Sasuke.

XxX

 _-The Next Day-_

"Good morning squirt!" shouted a way too energetic Naruto right into the ear of the barely conscious Rina. It was the day right after the torturous Tora mission and to say Rina was tired both physically and mentally would be an understatement.

Struggling to return to sleep, burying her head under her pillow and trying to block out her brother voice, she felt as though she had achieved everything she needed to go back to blissful sleep. This all changed when the side of her bed was suddenly tugged up and her body rolled onto the ground. Crying out, her body tangled up in her blanket, Rina struggled to escape her soft prison and managing to do so with only her head escaping out of the bundle, she glared angrily up at the grinning Naruto.

"You're evil Nii-san! Go to hell!" she shouted at him and only received a smirk in return.

"Oh hush it's already noon. You should thank me for letting you sleep in so late."

Rina blinked at this, her head turning to gaze out her window and indeed saw that it was very bright outside. Blushing in embarrassment, she still didn't want to admit her mistake and scowled back at her brother.

"Well…you shouldn't have tortured us yesterday! This is your fault."

"Hmm I guess if you put it at that way you're right. Guess I need to treat you to lunch then to apologize eh?" Naruto said, rubbing at his chin in thought.

Rina instantly stopped scowling and jumped up. Grabbing up her clothes, she scuttled passed Naruto and into her bathroom yelling back, "I want ramen!" before slamming the door behind her.

Naruto chuckled at his sister's antics and made his way to the living room to wait. He didn't have long to for as soon as he was about to sit down, Rina came bursting into the room and grabbing at his hand, yanked him towards the door and out of the house, barely giving him time to lock up behind them. He was then tugged for the next five minutes as the two made their way to the nearest ramen place, Ichiraku Ramen.

Smiling brightly at the prospect of her favorite ramen in the world, Rina rushed into the shop and immediately began to yell out, "Teuchi-san! Can I please have bowls of miso, chicken, and pork ramen please!?"

Teuchi, looking a bit grayer with the addition of over twelve years added on, nodded from behind the counter whilst giving a jovial smile to both Rina and Naruto.

"Of course you can! I have to satisfy my number one customer don't I?"

Rina grinned at this before sitting down alongside her brother on one of the stools lining the counter. After Teuchi had taken Naruto's order of the same and went to work, Rina turned towards her brother and asked.

"So Nii-san, what are we doing today?"

"Hmm well I suppose we might do another mission today."

Rina groaned and hung her head, "Againnnn? These missions are so lame Nii-san!"

Naruto chuckled, "Well that's true, but it helps with teamwork so we're going to keep doing them."

It was here that Teuchi handed them their first bowls of ramen. Rina's sour expressions instantly changed to one of glee as she bore witness to the steaming bowl of ramen. Her mouth began to water short of drooling from the aroma reaching her nose. Glancing up at the old man making the next batch of ramen, she gave him a radiant smile.

"Thank you Teuchi-san and keep 'em coming!"

With that she reached for a pair of chop sticks and uttering a soft, "Itadakimasu," she separated the sticks and began to dig in; all but pigging out on the delicious meal before her.

Unlike the ramen-obsessed fanatic, Naruto had come to learn over the years to eat slowly and savor every bite he took. Although his appetite and love for ramen had not waned in the slightest…

Reaching for his own chopsticks, Naruto repeated Rina's pre-meal blessing before scooping up a wad of noodles. Both siblings ate in complete silence, which was only broken for the occasional remark they made to either one another or Teuchi. When they were both finished and had paid for their meals, they gave their goodbyes to Teuchi and began their walk towards the mission hall.

Entering the Hokage Tower and moving to the entrance of the hall, Naruto and Rina met up with the other two of their team. Greeting with nods of their heads, they all walked in front of Naruto as they proceeded into the room to retrieve their next mission.

Sitting beside the Hokage as he was assisting that day, Iruka smiled as he saw his ex-students come in. Sarutobi did the same before he raised his gaze to meet that of the ever soft, but highly perspicacious eyes of Naruto. Taking note of the stare, Naruto smiled softly before issuing the customary, somewhat obligatory message.

"Team 7 reporting in for a mission, Hokage-sama."

In that moment Sarutobi took a moment to look at the team before him. He noticed the slightly tired, but eager eyes of the pre-teens staring back at him. The three looked ready for a mission even though just short of yesterday afternoon they had been near dead. Overall Sarutobi was impressed with the resilience of this team, yet did not show it in front of them.

"Yes, it does appear so. Are you sure they have enough energy after their escapade yesterday? They might be too worn out for a mission."

Even though they faced another one of the horrid D-rank missions, Team 7 stared back at their Hokage with determined and resolute eyes, showing no evidence that they had been half dead the day prior on this very same floor.

"Oh I think it would be unwise to underestimate my team," Naruto cut in with a small smirk adorning his features. Upon pondering the previous night, Naruto had concluded that he should reward his team for their valiant efforts during the Tora missions and had chosen a very specific reward.

"I do suppose you're right. They do look very ready for another mission. So what will it be this time? Cutting down some hedges? Painting a fence? I do have a mission concerning another mission for Tora if you would like that."

Knowing the reaction his team would give concerning that hell spawn of a feline, Naruto put in his own two cents, "Actually…I would like to nominate Team 7 for their first C-rank mission, Hokage-sama. From my observations, I believe they are quite capable of succeeding in a higher ranked mission.

The three Genin instantly swiveled their heads around at that particular statement, meeting the glinting and highly amused eyes of their sensei. However, they could also see in his gaze that he meant what he had said and slowly turning back to the mission table, all of Team 7 stared at the Hokage who seemed to be mulling over the request. It was the soft, but concerned voice from Iruka that broke that anticipatory pressure plaguing the room.

"While I do trust your judgment, Naruto-sama, these are my students here so I have a right to be concerned. Are you sure they are ready? I do not mean to doubt their skills, but someone has to broach the subject and all.

Folding his arms over his chest in an unconsciously defensive gesture, Naruto focuses his gaze on Iruka, one end of his lips raised in a half smile.

"You are quite right in asking, Iruka-san. In many cases a team might be too green out of the Academy to ask for a mission like this, but it is my belief that they are ready for the outside world. A simple escort or bandit mission will not put them in so great a danger that I wouldn't be able to step in and assist. Under my watch they are in no danger, Iruka-san. It is as their sensei who has watched these last few weeks that I request this type of mission for I do feel they are ready."

Iruka drew back at this, his slightly concerned face morphing into a somewhat at ease expression as he took in Naruto's words. The man was correct in that regard. C-rank missions weren't overly dangerous and with a S-rank ninja guarding them they couldn't get too hurt. Sighing, Iruka bowed his head.

"Forgive me, Naruto-sama, for doubting. I was simply being overprotective of my former students."

"Don't worry about it Iruka-san. You had a right to question and I applaud you for standing up for what you believe in. I will make sure to keep them safe," Naruto kindly returned before shifting his sky blue eyes back to the Hokage.

Sarutobi had been listening intently on the conversation before him and seeing Iruka submitting to Naruto's words, he could only smile. Chuckling, he responded.

"All right I understand. If you insist…I will allow Team 7 to take on a C-rank mission." Sarutobi glanced through the many mission requests before him before finally finding one that he thought suited the team. "Here's one. This mission will simply be to escort a certain person."

At the surprised expressions at how he had so easily accepted their sensei's request, Team 7 began to grin from ear to ear. It was Rina who asked the simple questions. "Who?"

"I'll introduce him now." Raising his voice so as for the mystery client to hear from outside the room, Sarutobi asked, "Can you please come in now? We have a team ready for you."

All of Team 7 turned at this and faced the entrance. Watching as the door slowly opened, they blinked as an older man with a bottle of alcohol in hand entered. Upon entering, the man gave the team pre-teens before him an almost calculating once over and simply snorted at what he saw.

"What? They're all kids!"

From what Team 7 could see their latest client was utterly and simply a drunk. The man was even so far along so early in the morning that he had to stabilize himself by leaning up against the wooden frame of the door.

"Is that little girl even a ninja? She looks like she should be playing with her dolls or something," questioned the grey-haired man.

Rina gained a tick mark from that comment, but wanting to behave for her first C-rank mission, she held back her tongue which she so wanted to let loose at that moment and simply said, "Yes I am a ninja, sir. I'm sorry if you feel I look too young, but I'll make sure to keep you safe with the rest of my team.

Naruto smiled at his sister, knowing exactly how she actually felt, but applauded her for holding back that inner demon. Rina was so like their mother in many ways and many of the traits from said parent had obviously been bred down into her if her normal behaviors were anything to go by. Yet she had held back the anger and acted civilly to the client, which was what a ninja must do in most cases.

The old man didn't seem to think much of the motley trio in front of him, but shrugged and taking one last swig of his drink began his introductions.

"I am the super bridge building expert Tazuna. Once I have returned to my country, I will have all of you protect my life with yours while I complete the bridge."

Naruto nodded at this before turning to his team. "I want you all to prepare for a trip that should take about three weeks to complete. Pack all the essentials. You have thirty minutes before I expect you at the main gate. Dismissed."

With that command all three of his charges walked out of the room to ready themselves for their first ever mission outside the confines of their village.

XxX

Rina quickly made her way to the Namikaze estate, pondering in her mind on what to bring. The essentials over desired would be key. A large amount of clothing, not that she really cared about such things, would definitely be off the list. She would need a possible tent just in case the weather got bad. She would also need the various weapons and…

This process went on for the duration of her trip home and upon entering her room, scooped up six storage scrolls, thinking that maybe her other teammates might want to use them as well. Packing away her supplies into two of the scrolls, but keep the weapons on her just in case, Rina quickly departed knowing she didn't have a lot of time left.

Arriving at the main gate, she saw both Shino and Sasuke standing just outside the entrance and moving towards the pair gave each a warm smile. Noticing her approach, Sasuke smirked in her direction, taking note of her lack of a pack and other supplies.

"I know you're a dobe and all, but you're going to need at least a few supplies."

The smile on her lips instantly dropped, turning into more of a scowl as she closed the distance between them. Crossing her arms over her chest, she glared at the boy before reaching into her shirt pockets. Drawing out the two filled scrolls and the four unused scrolls, she showed them her own unique traveling packs.

"Well I was going to give you some of these, but I guess you're too good to use these."

"And what are those, Rina-san?" queried Shino, gazing at the scrolls curiously.

"They're called storage scrolls. My brother made some for me for things just like this. You can put stuff into them and they carry the stuff for you."

Shino was quite intrigued and even though Sasuke didn't want to show it, he was as well. The silence between the three lengthened as they all gazed at one another and it was the sigh originating from Rina that broke it.

"Look…I have four empty scrolls. I was already going to give them to you guys so…here…" and tossing two scrolls apiece, watched as both boys grabbed them up. Receiving thanks from Shino, but only a 'hn' from Sasuke, Rina only shook her head. It was at that moment that their sensei decided to come into view, walking beside the old drunk Tazuna.

"Ah you're all here. Good good. Means we can leave sooner. Tazuna here was telling me we'll be heading to the Land of Waves, which shouldn't take too long if we stick to the main roads." Taking in his team to see if they were prepared, Naruto took note of the scrolls they held and smiled at the three.

"You've got storage scrolls? I'm guessing my sister brought them huh? Good on you Rina. This'll make our trip all the more easier without having to lug around packs."

Rina blushed slightly in Naruto's appraisal of her, never having been comfortable receiving praise from anyone, but still happily accepting it since it was coming from her brother after all.

"Thanks Nii-san."

Tazuna blinked at this and eyed Naruto. "You're related? Huh interesting. Hope it doesn't distract you from the mission."

Shaking his head in a firm negative, Naruto turned to the man before speaking. "Not at all. Don't worry, Tazuna-san."

Shifting his gaze back to his team, Naruto gave a sweep of his hand towards the road. "All right team! Time to go!" and placing a hand on the backs of both Sasuke and Rina, he spun them about and began pushing them away from the main gate and down the road.

XxX

It had been a few short hours since their departure and the group had been steadily marching towards their destination. They hadn't spoken much throughout the trip, rather just enjoying the scenery and being outside of the village for the first time in their relatively short lives. Rina breathed in the sweet, fresh air so unlike the slightly oppressing air the village was filled with. Out here she felt more alive than ever and with the curiosity of the new mission getting to her, she turned to Tazuna and began questioning him about his home country.

This game of twenty questions continued for quite some time; that is until Team 7 noticed the puddle of water just sitting there in the middle of the road on a very hot summer day. All three of the Genin continued to walk and without turning their heads eyed their sensei.

'So they noticed. That's good…' thought Naruto before giving his team an imperceptive nod of his head, silently telling them to keep going, but to stay wary. For his part, Naruto began to edge back within the group, putting himself in position just behind the four.

As the group passed by the mysterious puddle of water, the entire team was not surprised in the slightest when from out of the water came two black forms darting out of the puddle. The two figures, one launching itself into the air, fired a hooked chain towards Naruto and showing his surprise at the attack, Naruto felt the chain wrap tightly about his form. The chain tightened ever further as from each end the two figures began tugging hard, pulling either end towards him before finally yanking as hard as they could, splitting Naruto's body apart in violent show of blood and gore. Tazuna was agape at the spectacle, fearing for his life from the deadly duo.

"First one…" both masked men uttered. Without even waiting for their victims to ready themselves, the two charged forward, appearing behind Rina. Leaning forward, they both said, "Second one…" and prepared themselves for yet another kill.

Unlike their client, Team 7 was ready for the attack, knowing something like this could never truly kill their sensei. Leaping way from her attackers, rolling across the ground, Rina turned sharply around and threw a lone shuriken towards the swaying chain that had all been set to wrap about her form as well. Flying through the air, one point of the star-like weapon managed to find its way into one of the kinks of the chain, launching it out of the two grips holding it and pinned it up against a nearby tree. Proceeding likewise, Sasuke jumped high into the air, removing a kunai from his pouch before throwing it towards the chain, finding the shuriken's hole before burying into the tough wood, ultimately trapping the chained weapon from being used for the duration of the fight.

One of their attackers tried in vain to pull on the chain attached to his claw, failing miserably in removing the chain from its hold. "It won't come out," he said to himself before feeling the weight of Sasuke landing on his own claw as well as his partner's. Quickly kicking the two in their faces, Sasuke shoved the two backwards who for their part quickly separated themselves from the chain.

After separation, they both sprinted in a wide circle, aiming obviously for the unmoving figure of Tazuna. Leaping in front of the man, Shino raised both hands palms facing towards the approaching pair and from within his sleeves came gushing out a storm of bugs, which quickly intercepted the duo. Darting back from the attack, the two masked men sneered at the boy who just sent wave after wave of his flying insects in their direction.

Flashing through hand seals, the duo threw two separate water jutsus at the swarm, effectively wiping the attack out. It was when they were about to launch their next array of attacks that Naruto appeared behind them.

Without waiting, he aimed the side of his opened hand towards the back of one's neck, knocking him out. With the other he wrapped his arm about his neck, slamming him straight into the ground while in the same motion catching his first victim before he hit the ground. Staring at the two, he just dropped the man he was holding, allowing him to fall to the ground behind his unconscious partner.

Shaking his head, Naruto sighed while Tazuna looked seemingly ecstatic at the appearance of the once thought dead sensei of Team 7.

"Naruto-san!" yelled the older man, walking over towards the blonde who for his part was glaring at the man approaching him.

Seeing this Tazuna stumbled slightly from the angry look he was receiving and gulped, "W-What's wrong?"

Keeping his gaze upon the man Naruto asked aloud, "Shino…who would you say our attackers were aiming for in this fight?"

"It is my estimation that the two were aiming almost entirely upon Tazuna-san. They seemed very intent on killing him."

Nodding, Naruto scowled at the man before crossing his arms over his chest. "Yes. I thought as much. You see I decided to be 'killed' in battle in order to see who those two were going after. Was it one of our team they were aiming for or Tazuna-san? These two are known as the Demon Brothers of the Mist and they are both B-rank missing-nin. My question is…why were you being targeted by high-ranking ninja when your request for protection was from groups like gangs and robbers, not ninja. This is a high-ranking B mission or above, not a simple C-rank mission. If ninja are our enemy, this mission has become much dangerous than originally predicted. It looks like you have your reasons, but it only troubles us if you lie in your request details. This was most certainly not apart of the mission parameters. Now…explain."

Team 7 just stared at the man who appeared to be quite serious contrary to his customary drunken and jovial expression. They all were wondering whether they should pull back from the current mission under the circumstances now presented to them, but they definitely wanted to hear the reasoning behind lying.

Tazuna seemed hesitant to explain the situation, but upon the urging of Naruto about definitely pulling back if he didn't, the old man began.

"Like you said, this mission is most likely out of your job description. A super and extremely terrible man is after my life."

This piqued everyone's interest and raising her voice Rina asked, "A terrible man?"

"Yes," said Tazuna before going on. "You should have all at least heard of the name…Gatō."

The three younglings were confused, but it was Naruto that had a somewhat stricken look. "The Marine transportation billionaire and one of the richest men in the world? That Gato? Why would a man like him be after you?"

Shino then asked, "Naruto-sensei, who is this Gato?"

Before Naruto could speak, Tazuna answered the question while closing his eyes as if to try and convey his emotions in the current situation. "Yes, he is the president of a marine transportation company on the outside, but underground he uses gangs, thugs, and ninjas to smuggle drugs and contraband goods."

"Contraband? Like what?" questioned Rina, but had a dreading feeling welling up within her gut.

Naruto continued to stare at Tazuna for a long moment before shifting his gaze to his little sister. Giving her a firm look, his lips turning down into an ever growing scowl that somewhat frightened his team, Naruto answered her question.

"Children, drugs like Tazuna said, weapons, slaves, women…that is what he would be selling if I had to guess."

Rina gulped, but Tazuna nodded, "Yes…you're exactly right. There are many adults and children that have disappeared from our village over the years and I fear the worse."

Naruto nodded grimly and requested Tazuna to continue on with his explanation. "He also does nasty jobs like taking over other companies and countries. A year ago, he set his eyes on my country and he hasn't left since. He used the violence and wealth as a shield to enter and before we knew it he had taken over the island's sea traffic and transportation. On an island like the Land of Waves, controlling the sea means ruling over the wealth, politics, and people of this island. Because of this Gato is able to control out economy and rule over us through that.

Stopping for a moment, Tazuna took a swig from his bottle, his hand shaking slightly out of fear for both the man and what was happening to his country. Finally drawing the bottle down, he then went on as though he had gained his courage from the inhibiting liquor.

"Gato only fears one thing. This is the completion of that bridge that has been under construction for quite some time."

Naruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "And as the one building the bridge, you became an obstacle to him. Those ninja were sent by Gato then. Am I right?"

Tazuna bowed his head, "Yes you're right. He sent them to kill me. With my death the bridge construction would stop and that would mean the end of our country."

"If this is so bad and he sent ninja after you, why didn't you pay for a higher mission rank? With more capable ninja this would be a somewhat more easier task than with a team of Genin."

Tazuna sighed, "You must know that the Land of Waves is a super poor country because of Gato. Even the feudal lord doesn't have much money. We had to pool all our money together in order to even afford a C-rank fee and that pretty much wiped us all out. We had hoped we would get a capable team for this task. If you quit your mission now, I'll be killed for sure and my country doomed."

Naruto began thinking over the mission, wondering if he should risk everything, even their lives, for something like this. If he had been alone he would have happily accepted the mission, but with three young Genin to watch over could he risk it? It was the following words that clinched it all for both him and his team.

"It is all right if you don't accept. Only my cute eight-year-old grandson and his mother as well as the rest of our small village will weep. It's not your fault after all and I did lie to you guys.

Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto sighed at the situation before them and looked towards his team with a questioning look. They all picked up on this and shifting their gazes back and forth between one another, they all turned resolute eyes towards their sensei.

"Let's do it Nii-san! We have to help them! It would be wrong if we turned back now."

"I agree. It would be just to do this Naruto-sensei. It is a very logical choice."

"Hn…"

"Very well then…I think that settles it. We will continue escorting you and continue on with the mission. However, once you have the funds you will supply the village with payment equivalent to an A-rank mission. Is that understood Tazuna-san?"

Eyes and mouth widening in shock and happiness, Tazuna immediately began to nod his affirmation at the condition. Lowering himself to his knees, tears beginning to stream down his face, Tazuna lowered his face to the team, showing his respect.

Witnessing all of this, the team was very embarrassment from the showing and rubbing the back of his head, Naruto approached the bowing man and grabbing at the back of his shirt, yanked the old man up onto his feet. "Now now none of that. It is the job of a shinobi to carry out a mission and sometimes those missions change and we must adapt. Now let's go Tazuna-san."

With that the group once again began their journey towards the Land of Waves, not knowing what to expect upon their arrival.

XxX

Upon reaching the sandy beach that marked the border between Fire Country and their destination,, Team 7 and Tazuna hitched a ride on a boat to reach Nami no Kuni (Land of Waves). The driver of the boat had only accepted their request for a ride due to Tazuna and because there was a heavy fog that would mask their presence that day. When they had arrived at the very edge of Wave country, the driver had immediately warned them to be wary of their surroundings in the country and then left after that.

From their point on land, the entire team could see the bridge clearly without any mist inhibiting their sight and they were all impressed by the sheer size of the structure. It was upon questioning that Tazuna explained that the bridge was being built to link Fire Country and his own so that they may trade without relying on Gatō's ships. After offering their praise, Team 7 turned their backs upon the bridge and resumed their journey from the small fishing village to Tazuna's home a little way outside of it.

A little while after as the group made their way down the beaten path just a mile fro Tazuna's house, Rina immediately stiffened, sensing something out of place. Swiftly reaching for a kunai from her pack, she flung the weapon towards a nearby bush, startling those around her. Without bothering to answer the obvious question, Rina made her way over to the bush, drawing it back to reveal she had killed a white-furred rabbit.

At first she berated herself for immediately striking the poor rabbit down for it had done nothing to harm her group. However, the longer she gazed down at the unmoving form the more she began to grow suspicious. Here was a creature with fur the color of snow that would have shed it long ago due to it currently being summer. To keep that colored fur, the rabbit would have had to be kept in a place where it would not have had light or predators. But then how did it get out here?

Naruto and the rest of his team were thinking similar thoughts and immediately became on guard for potential attacks. 'That rabbit had to be raised inside somewhere…probably for the use of Kawarimi'

Suddenly Naruto's ears picked up the distinctive sound of metal flying through the air and immediately shouting, "Everyone! Duck!" used his flash step to rush to Tazuna's side, bringing the man to the ground with a quick flick of his wrists. He was almost a second too late for upon saving the man, Naruto felt the very tips of his hair seared away by the huge blade passing over them. Following the path of the blade, Naruto watched as it clunked into the side of a tree where upon impact, a tall man with dark skin appeared upon the hilt.

Making eye contact with the motionless figure, Naruto immediately began to curse his luck for having his team here. This man was…

"Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto. The Yellow Wraith of Konoha. What is someone of your standing doing in a little place like this?" queried their unknown assailant.

"I should be asking you the same…Momochi Zabuza, exiled ninja and proclaimed Demon of the Hidden Mist."

Everyone stiffened at the moniker, but the laugh that followed sent chills running through their veins courtesy of Zabuza. Naruto instinctually lowered himself to one knee, making sure his sandals were firmly laced.

"I'm sorry for this, but I'll need you to hand over the geezer." At that sudden proclamation everything seemed to go dead silent save for the wind that blew through the small clearing.

Narrowing his eyes, Naruto watched the man carefully while raising himself to his full height. Not looking away from his target, Naruto then began to address those behind him.

"You'll have to stay out of this. This fight is beyond you and I can't risk any of you getting hurt. Now form the swastika formation and protect Tazuna-san. Remember what I taught you all. Teamwork is everything so stay out of this and protect him."

Upon ending his instructions Naruto reached for his front left pouch, removing two of the specially designed kunai and placing one in each hand, crouched down with his right foot behind his left and readied himself for the upcoming fight. A split second later, a veil of mist began to descend upon those assembled, growing thicker and thicker over time until most of the area about them was obscured.

"My my, I feel honored that I get to fight the great Yellow Wraith. This should be fun…"Although he gave off the appearance of confidence, Zabuza with somewhat freaking out inside. 'Fuck why is he here? I am definitely not being paid enough for this! I have to be careful here…'

"When I was in the Kirigakure's assassination squad I heard talk of some of your accomplishments and gained information from the bingo book given to me. One of two ever in history to gain the status 'flee on sight' and your old man was the other. I've heard many tales about you…Konoha's Yellow Wraith.

While Naruto and Zabuza had a stare down, Sasuke was staring at Naruto's back with searching and curious eyes. 'He's that feared? I knew he was strong, but never that strong. What is his secret dammit…'

Not breaking the eye contact, Zabuza crouched down on his hilt saying, "Let's get the started shall we? I don't have all day and I need to kill that geezer right away."

At this all three Genin rushed into action, placing their bodies in between Zabuza and Tazuna.

"It seems I must defeat you first in order to kill the geezer. Let's go!" With that Zabuza placed one foot upon the trunk of the tree and grabbing the hilt of his blade, tore it from the tree, sending a few stray pieces of bark flying every which way. He then jumped to the nearby small pond, landing atop the surface where he began focusing his chakra, imbuing the water about him with it.

Uttering a soft, "Ninpou: Kirigakure no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Hiding in the Mist Technique)," the mist about Zabuza began to deepen in intensity and spreading out, covered the area swiftly; blanketing everything in sight so that no one could see three feet in front of them.

All three Genin of Team 7 stiffened as they saw the dense mist roll towards and around them. Wondering what kind of man their opponent was for their sensei to become warier than they had ever seen, they all prepared themselves for the inevitable. Stepping a few more feet in front of the group, Naruto began to speak.

"Prepare yourselves. This man is Momochi Zabuza. He was Kiri Anbu and was especially known for his silent killing techniques. Stay close to one another and do not drop your guard for one second." With that Naruto's figure began to disappear, covered up completely by the mist.

Standing there, all exhibiting trace amounts of fear, they all distinctly heard the cold voice of Zabuza as though he was all around them. "Eight points… the larynx, spine, lungs, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney, and heart. Now, which vital organ do you want to get struck at?"

All of Team 7 turned this way and that, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from but just as the mist, the voice seemed to roll around them making reverse tracking ultimately useless.

It was here that Sasuke began to freak out, his body shaking from the pure and unearthly killing intent pressing down on him from all sides. He just couldn't believe this feeling originated from one man. The air was oppressive and Sasuke began to fear for his life, feeling as though he could do nothing in the situation except die. Because of this feeling, his hands wrapped around the hilt of his kunai, preparing to just end his life here and now just to get it over with; just to escape the feeling that was slowly squeezing his body. It was the timely voice of his sensei that cut through Sasuke's thinking, freeing him from both his suicidal thoughts and fear.

"Sasuke…I'll protect the three of you with my life. I won't let any of you die." Here Naruto redirected his own killing intent, which he had put up in order to try and protect his team from the main force of Zabuza' own, to all directions besides directly behind him. Looking back over his shoulder, he gave his team, especially Rina, a soft smile.

This smile instantly shifted down when he saw the sudden appearance of Zabuza smack dab in the middle of his Genin group. Instantly turning around on the balls of his feet, he used a flash step to close the distance and punching a kunai straightforward, slammed the weapon directly into Zabuza's stomach.

Everyone thought the blonde had already killed the missing-nin. That was until they all saw the water leaking forth from the wound inflicted in his abdomen. Suddenly the figure of Zabuza splashed out of existence, indicating it had been a water clone, and upon hearing a cry from Rina, Naruto turned about to see Zabuza's blade aimed directly at his gut. Thinking fast, Naruto bent his knees. Propelling himself upwards, he swiftly placed both hands on the swinging blade and twisting in the air, made his body perform a quick handstand above the blade, just narrowly escaping the sideways cut. Immediately on the counter attack, Naruto cocked his legs at the knees and twisting about, sent a quick kick in the direction of Zabuza's face.

Growling at the miss, Zabuza almost didn't see the attack and quickly placing the flat of his blade in front of him to intercept, felt the blow hit the metal, forcing him back until he skidded to a stop atop the water. Zabuza was about to resume his attack upon Naruto until he felt cold steel pressing up against the side of his neck and a low, "Don't move," coming from behind him.

Naruto stood behind Zabuza, a kunai placed against his opponent's throat, but knowing this couldn't possibly be all the high A-ranked almost S-ranked missing-nin had to offer. It was the low, menacing laugh that followed those two words that promptly told Naruto his guess was accurate.

"You're pretty good…as expected from an S-rank shinobi. You're as fast as the rumors say. To be able to react that quickly takes a lot and to counterattack takes a lot more. However…" and here the real figure of Zabuza appeared while the one before Naruto vanished in a wet explosion, "You weren't fast enough to see this!"

Eyes widening from the small deception, Naruto barely had enough time to dodge the fast moving sword, ducking beneath the blade just in the nick of time. However, that was all he had time for and twisting his grip, Zabuza managed to kick Naruto away and once again began to charge the blonde.

Yet Zabuza did not make it far before he saw the countless weird kunai dotting the ground before him. Stopping just short of them, he immediately redirected his charge to the side and moving about the kunai, appeared just behind Naruto whose body was bobbing in what to him felt like heavy water.

Yelling out, "Suiton: Suirō no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Prison Technique)"Zabuza raised his hand and a huge sphere of water began to form about Naruto. Acting quickly, Naruto instantly connected to a seal attached to one of the many kunai he had placed down, flashing away while in the same moment thanking Kami that he had learned Hiraishin.

Zabuza was somewhat startled for he had thought he had definitely trapped Naruto in his water prison technique. Turning to the figure now standing a few feet away from him, Zabuza chuckled at the pure skill of the blonde, "Incredible. Even faster than I imagined. No wonder you're so feared."

Naruto for his part just stared at the man; eyeing him closely knowing his guess at the man's own skill was spot on. This man would be a tricky one to beat…

Flashing through a few more hand seals, numerous water clones of Zabuza began to rise from the water, all eyes upon the rag tad group of Genin guarding his kill. "I think we should let the kiddies play a bit. They might have shinobi headbands, but until they've gone through numerous life and death situations like we have, they can't call themselves ninja."

Naruto knew that the water clones weren't as powerful as one of his shadow clones, but due to them containing one-tenth the overall power of their wielder and with Zabuza being so strong, the strength of a single one would be more than enough to match his team. Naruto hoped they could survive and seeking to end this fight as soon as possible launched himself straight at Zabuza, kunai flashing forward only to be intercepted by the other man's sword. And so their fight began anew.

The three Genin of Team 7 stared at the many figures of Zabuza before them. Receiving sneers in return, all the Zabuza's charged towards their victims, intent on ending this swiftly and killing the target. Thinking quickly and wanting to even out the odds a little, Rina immediately made four shadow clones. Racing forward, she and her doppelgangers made contact with the enemy, kunai creating sparks as they roughly rubbed up against the swords presented to them.

Startled at his teammate's reaction, Sasuke just stood there and watched as the female of Team 7 battled it out, kunai against sword, with five of the water clones sent to kill them. It was the kick he saw delivered to the real Rina that sent him into action. Darting forward, he intercepted the flying form of his teammate earning a grunt from the effort of stopping her backwards momentum.

Turning her head, Rina was surprised at Sasuke's actions, but nodding her head in thanks, moved forward once again, this time with Sasuke by her side. The two seemed to move in perfect harmony, complimenting the other's movements with swift actions of their own.

When Rina ducked beneath a swinging blade, Sasuke was there with shuriken in both hands, flinging them at the clone so that it exploded in a shower of water. When Sasuke felt his fist caught by another clone, Rina appeared behind the man, delivering a swift axe kick and dispelling that clone as well. This process went on for a while until finally none of Zabuza's clones remained before the panting duo.

The original Zabuza, having been fighting Naruto, stopped suddenly and gave a sidelong look towards the Genin, "They're not half bad…especially that girl. Say…she's not your…"

"Shut it." Naruto ordered and instantly appeared out of thin air beside Zabuza, throwing a punch in the general area of the man's throat.

Ducking his head beneath the incoming blow, Zabuza countered by drawing his left arm up and forcing Naruto's right arm wide in order to twist his body uncomfortably, struck out with his left, aiming for Naruto's heart with the pointed tip of his sword.

Seeing his predicament, Naruto snapped his left hand out, redirecting the blow to just above his shoulder, avoiding a hit that could have seriously injured him.

Growling out his challenge with his blue eyes flashing, Naruto then twisted his left hand around so that his fingers found Zabuza's wrist. Squeezing tendons to bones, he forced Zabuza to relinquish the hold on his blade and punching, managed to score a hit against Zabuza's sternum, effectively launching him backwards. Not finished, Naruto then flash stepped behind the man, kunai striking forward to nail the incoming figure right in the spine.

Reacting quickly and knowing how crippling the attack would be, Zabuza managed to press his right hand onto the water's edge and using a burst of chakra, pushed his body upwards and over the head of Naruto.

Being the faster of the two, Naruto scowled and snapping his hand up, grabbed at the leather strap about Zabuza's chest, roughly pulling the man down and slamming him into the water beneath them. Not done with his move, Naruto then spun about, taking Zabuza's body with him and flinging him towards the bank, watched as he bounced a few times with the hard landing.

Zabuza groaned as he hoisted his body up. Cursing his luck for being presented such an adversary, Zabuza sprung back atop the water and instantly began to flash through hand seals. Somewhat recognizing the long array of seals Zabuza was going through and guessing the outcome, Naruto flashed through his own even faster than that of Zabuza. Finishing up their seals, Zabuza and Naruto each shouted out their own individual jutsus.

"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragob Bullet Technique)!"

"Fūton:Furyudan no Jutsu (Wind Release: Wind Dragon Bullet Technique)!"

Rising from beneath, a dragon of pure water emerged before Zabuza, immediately launching itself towards Naruto. Although Naruto hadn't seemed to have created anything, the wind picked up in front of him and if one was to look closely, they would have seen the shape of a dragon made entirely of wind form, charging at its dragon counterpart before it. The two dragons clashed then, swirling and twirling about one another before they canceled each other out.

The two combatants sprang forward, blades clashing as their dragons had moments before. Neither seemed ready to give up an inch they had gained, pushing at the other with all their might, ultimately meeting in a stalemate that would not change soon. It was here that both sprang back at some unknown signal.

Zabuza began once more forming seals and Naruto, forming a clone beside him, began going through his own set of seals along with his clone, each seeming to be performing an entirely separate jutsu.

All three finishing at once, Zabuza cried out, "Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu! (Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique)!" sending a great torrent of water straight at Naruto. Working as one, both Naruto's looked at the each other and drawing breath into their lungs, expelled the chakra infused pressure within them while shouting out.

"Katon: Yurika no Jutsu (Fire Release: Fire Lily Technique)!"

"Fūton: Atsugai (Wind Release: Pressure Damage)!"

The gigantic fireballs that flew from one of the mouths made eyes widen at the sheer size of the masses of roiling fire. It was like a rain of fireballs that spread out wide; a jutsu used sparingly by those within Konoha for large-scale battles. However, it was the focused and immense wall of wind heading towards Zabuza that scared him the most. Not only did he feel the incoming power from the technique, the wind fueled the fireballs, doubling them in size and strength.

Zabuza's water technique was no match for the combined forces of the two jutsus and watching as his torrent of water was plowed through, felt the impact of one of the fireballs as it landed in the water beside him, sending him crashing back onto land and into a hard tree, knocking him out instantly upon impact.

Sighing to himself at the hard earned victory, Naruto simply let his clone poof out of existence and began walking towards his group, asking while on the move, "You guys okay?"

They all nodded dumbly, still amazed at the sheer power of the man approaching them, none more awed than Uchiha Sasuke whose clan prided themselves on their use of fire techniques. However, the boy had never seen the magnitude of fire manipulation that Naruto had just shown off and he once again wondered if his sensei could actually defeat his brother in battle.

Flicking his gaze to Tazuna, Naruto noticed nothing wrong with the old man and nodding in acceptance and glad that his team had survived the deadly attack and handled themselves well, patted each on the back for good work. Turning, he then proceeded to the lone body of Zabuza, but was stopped short when another figure made its appearance known, flinging two senbons into the side of Zabuza's neck.

Arching his brow, Naruto eyed the masked figure standing upon a branch high above, but noticing the mask they were adorned with proceeded to examine Zabuza, placing two fingers to side of his neck. "He's dead…" was all Naruto said before turning back to their mysterious, masked individual.

"Thank you very much. I was looking for a chance to kill Zabuza," the figure said, bowing its head in Naruto's direction.

'That mask…it indicates this person as a hunter-nin of Kirigakure. From his appearance, they look to be female and quite young at that. To be so young and already a hunter-nin? She must be quite extraordinary' mused Naruto.

Stepping back, Naruto watched as the figure flashed to Zabuza's side and after lifting him up onto his shoulders, simply said, "I shall be taking him back to Kiri. Thank you for your services, Konoha-nin. You have done a great service."

Alarm bells immediately began to go off in Naruto's head and with his unmasked

expression, the other figure seemed to catch onto what he was thinking.

Reacting quickly, Naruto threw two of his kunai forward and bolted right behind them. The hunter-nin, seeing the weapons flying towards him, instantly countered, sending two senbon to deflect the kunai out of the air before sending a wall of water towards the charging Naruto.

Managing to dodge the technique launched at him, Naruto turned back to where he had last seen the ninja, but upon settling his gaze on the exact spot saw only grass. Sighing and shaking his head in dejection, Naruto made his back to the startled group, giving them a "Later" to put off the obvious string of questions they wanted to ask him. He then asked Tazuna if he would be so kind as to show them the rest of the way to his house.

"Errr…uhhh…yes follow me," and with that led the small group down the road and towards his home, almost giddy with happiness now that Zabazu had been taken down by Naruto.

Reaching the home, which seemed to be a very well built two story abode made entirely of wood, a woman who appeared in her late-twenties greeted the group at the door.

"Ah hello. I assume you are all the ninja that my father hired? Please please come in. Make yourselves at home. I'll start dinner soon so relax. You all don't look so good. Oh…and my name is Tsunami. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Giving their greetings, both Team 7 and Tazuna made their way into the house where they all collapsed, some out of weariness while others just from their adrenaline finally settling down. Here they all stayed until they were called to dinner. After scarfing down all the food presented, Tsunami picked up their plates before saying to the group, "We have two rooms that you all can stay in if you would like. I don't really know the customs of ninja, but a comfortable bed is usually enjoyed by everyone."

"Ah thank you Tsunami-san. That would be greatly appreciated." Turning his head, Naruto eyed his team before stating, "All right you three. You all will be staying in one room while I take the other. You are to get a good night sleep because you're going to need it for the next few days. Trust me. Now get off with you lot."

Watching the group leave down the hallway, Naruto instantly remembered something and raising his voice yelled at the departing three, "Oh and I better not catch you two trying to fool around with me sister or there'll be hell to pay boys!" Hearing the slightly choked gasps from said boys, Naruto chuckled before turning to his hosts who were both giving him highly amused expressions.

"You are very protective of your sister aren't you, Naruto-san?" asked Tsunami as she began to wipe off the table.

"Yes I am. She is all that I have left meaning she's everything to me. I'd never let anything bad happen to her." Naruto received a smile in return for his words and after bidding the two older adults a good night, he too departed for his room hoping to get a goodnight sleep to rest his slightly weary body.

XxX


	5. Waves II: Children in Need

**Slightly shorter chapter this time around. Didn't want to race through some of the more interesting parts of this arc that I want to add.**

I do not own Naruto, but wish I did.

Chapter Five:

The next morning found the group sitting cross-legged in front of their sensei as he intently scanned over the many scrolls before him. His eyes shifted back and forth between each and occasionally he would let slip a slight mumble that was incomprehensible to anyone but himself. So engrossed was he that he didn't even notice his kid sister making weird and obnoxious faces in his direction; some rather amusing to see such as the other two boys were witnessing.

Naruto was purely and utterly focused on the various seal arrangements he had recently been working on and just like every Uzumaki before him, his brain was locked solely on his work, blocking out any and all outside disturbances. If he could only solve the small issue of folding over the distance between himself and the Namikaze estate so that he didn't die of chakra use in trying to link to it. If he could do that then…

Finally after many minutes of this process going on, the less patient of the trio turned his head to glance once again at his female teammate and questioned, "What's wrong with him? It's like he doesn't even know we're here."

Nodding her head, Rina half smiled as she gazed fondly over at her beloved brother at work. The girl recognized some of the symbols and squiggles littering every inch of the scrolls he was reading, but sadly most of it was just above her current level of sealing. While she was an Uzumaki as her brother, for some reason she just could never get into the art of fuuinjutsu. Oh sure, she learned the art easily enough for like all Uzumakis she shared some affinity to the craft, but she just couldn't get into it let alone concentrate for hours on end.

"He probably doesn't. He gets like this sometimes and you either have to hit him out of it or just wait for him to snap out of it. But…I say we go with the first option." Putting words to action, she promptly stepped up behind her brother who didn't even notice her presence. Letting her arm retract back, Rina slammed her fist into the back of Naruto's skull, shouting out, "Hey idiot! Pay attention!"

Naruto keeled over immediately, his hands instinctively rising to the back of his head to cover the growing lump atop his noggin while uttering a soft, "Atatatata…" Wincing from the pain and having a sudden flashback of his mother with red hair flying about her face, Naruto slowly turned around, half expecting his mother to actually be there. The figure behind him certainly looked like his mother all right, red hair cascading down the sides of her face with flashing violet eyes. However…she was too short and the image of his mother slowly left Naruto's eyes only to shift to his sister with her fist clenched in front of his face. Blinking, Naruto cocked his head to the side before releasing his head.

"Oh uh…hey there Rina. What are you doing here?"

Rina gained a tick mark at that comment, her fist clenching all the more tightly as she glared at her brother. "Wellllll we're here because you told Tsunami-san to tell us to meet you up here when we were done eating. Honestly Nii-san, you're a complete idiot sometimes."

As if just realizing he had indeed asked them to be here after eating breakfast, Naruto turned to the side and smiled at the two boys who were both exhibiting sweat drops at the scene playing before them. "Oh great. You guys are here. Good good. Well stop standing there Rina and sit down. We have some things to discuss."

Sighing and shaking her head for her brother's sake, Rina once again resumed her middle position just between her two teammates and cocked an eyebrow up at her brother. Seeing that they were ready, Naruto closed his eyes for a moment as if to collect his thoughts before once again opening them.

"All right…I'll probably answer most of your questions with this so just please listen carefully. Now…it seems Gato desperately wants Tazuna-san dead if he's willing to pay for such a high caliber ninja like Zabuza. That man was totally out of your league, but you three did well in defending Tazuna-san. Most teams would have just left the client, but I applaud you Shino for remaining behind to guard while the other two defended against Zabuza's attack. I'm very impressed so good job. Now...here's the bad part," and Naruto paused significantly. "Zabuza's not dead…."

He stopped there, hearing the collective gasps of shock due to his proclamation. He waited, letting them get over their initial surprise and just as he had predicted, the question was asked.

"What do you mean sensei? Judging from your examination of the body, it appeared as though you believed him to be dead. How could he not be?"

"Well…at first I did think he was dead, but you all remember the ninja at the end of the fight. If you don't know, that individual was a hunter-nin from Kiri. Their job was to kill Zabuza so that no trace of him remained. As you all probably know, a shinobi's body is full of secrets that can be easily exploited if used correctly. A hunter-nin destroys any and all evidence the ninja existed. The problem is…they're only supposed to cut off the head of their prey to mark the target is indeed dead and burn the rest of the body."

He knew that his team had caught on when Rina pointed out, "But they didn't…they took Zabuza's body."

"Exactly," said Naruto, nodding his head in her direction to show his appreciation for her quick wit. "He took the body. Standard protocol is to cut of the head then and there, not to take the body and do it somewhere else. That is why I attacked. From that I knew that our little friend was a fake and probably a partner of some sort to Zabuza."

"But why would his partner attack him? They threw two senbons into his neck," questioned Rina, not quite sure why someone would do that if they were trying to save Zabuza.

Naruto chuckled and raised a finger, "Ah well that's an easy one. There are several areas in the neck to which, if correctly hit, can make someone appear as though they're dead. Senbons have a low fatality rate unless of course they hit critical points in the body. Anyone with the right knowledge of the bodily systems would easily be able to hit specific areas in the body to make a person appear dead. That is my guess on what happened to Zabuza. There is a good side to all of this though."

Seeing the dubious looks being shot in his direction Naruto then went on to explain.

"Because of the delicacy of these areas hit and being put in near-death state, we have time before Zabuza fully recovers. Probably a little over a week is my guess. During that time, Team 7 will guard Tazuna-san as hired to and train. I need to get you guys up to shape in order to fight that pair."

"But what about Tazuna-san? Shouldn't we inform him Zabuza's still alive?" asked Rina, wondering if it was a good idea to keep that little secret hidden.

"No, we won't tell him. He's got enough to worry about right now. Telling him will only freak him out even more and this country needs him to finish that bridge. As the old saying goes…'ignorance is bliss'"

"This training you said…how will it help us? It's not like anything you can do will really get us up to Zabuza's level in just a week." Sasuke pointed out.

"Sasuke, it's better to prepare even if the odds are against you. Let me ask you this. If you were studying for a test, would you rather come in knowing half the knowledge you needed to know or all of it?"

"Well all of it obviously. You'd probably fail if you don't," and here Sasuke glanced over in Rina direction who scowled in return.

"Exactly. Even if we only manage to increase the likelihood of you surviving an attack from Zabuza by one-percent, would it not be beneficial to try? That one-percent could mean the difference between life and death in these types of situations and it's better to be prepared than regret not doing so before dying. Always remember that victory is never a sure thing and a shinobi must always train his or her body so as to increase the chance of survival. When I'm not busy, even I train because there is always someone out there stronger than me that would kill me if given the chance. Never become lax in the shinobi world or you're dead. Plain and simple."

Seeing the look crossing over Sasuke's face, Naruto chuckled before slowly rising from his bedroll. Placing a hand on his head, he patted the boy. "It's all right Sasuke. You asked what you thought was an important question and I as your sensei answered. It is my job to help you guys develop as shinobi and it's your jobs to listen and grow from my teaching. Anyways, let's get you guys training. We don't have a lot time after all."

Watching as they rose from their seats, Naruto walked behind his team as they made their way downstairs and into the kitchen. Moving to the front door, Naruto was just about to open it for his team to depart before the action was done by another; a young boy with a large white hat wearing green overalls rushing into the house. Watching as the boy blinked in surprise at the new faces in his home, Naruto raised his hand in greeting, coupling the gesture with a small smile.

"Yo."

The boy continued to blink, even more confused at the greeting before simply running into the kitchen and towards Tazuna. "Grandpa! I'm home!" he shouted and flung himself into the waiting farms of the old man.

"Oh Inari! There you are. We've been wondering where you've been," said Tazuna, embracing the now known Inari tightly in his arms.

"Inari! Don't ignore our guests! These are the ninja who are here to guard your grandpa!"

At this the boy turned his head, still locked in his grandfather's arms, and seemed to glare at the four staring curiously at the scene. Breaking free from Tazuna, Inari turned to his mother and callously said, "Mom, they're going to die. There's no way anyone can stop Gatõ. He's going to kill all of them!"

Everyone was startled at the outburst, hardly expecting this eight-year old boy to say such things. None of them knew exactly what to say or how to answer his foreboding words, but thinking that someone must say something, Rina raised her voice to be heard.

"Inari-san…I can assure you we won't be dying so easily. We're pretty strong and our sensei is way stronger than this Gato. We're going to protect your grandfather and try and help this country."

"Help? You think you guys are some heroes? There're no such things as heroes! You're all just gonna die! Just go home!" With that Inari flashed a scowl at the four before rushing out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Raising herself halfway up from her chair, Tsunami yelled out, "Inari! Where are you going!?"

"I'm going to watch the ocean!" they all heard the boy shout back before disappearing up the stairs and out of sight. Tazuna sighed and turned his head to gaze back at Team 7, wanting to apologize for his grandson.

"I'm sorry for that. I'm sure he didn't really mean what he said."

Naruto shook his head and raised a hand, "No need to apologize Tazuna-san. It is quite all right. Rina, can you go up and make sure he's all right?"

Nodding her head, Rina quickly followed the path Inari had taken and climbing the stairs, quietly made her way down the hallway. While she moved, she began to wonder why the boy had said what he had. 'There must be some reason…' thought Rina as she tried to figure out which room was Inari's. At the quiet sound of what she perceived to be crying, she followed the sound to a room set to one side of the hallway. Peeking through a slit in the doorway, she saw Inari sitting atop his desk, staring out his open window at the ocean beyond.

Frowning at the sight, wondering why he was crying, she stayed for a few more moments to reassure herself that the boy was all right before drawing back and quietly departing, not wanting to embarrass the boy by being seen crying.

XxX

The masked figure crouched beside the motionless form of Zabuza. Unrolling her equipment, she looked over her tools before removing a tool that looked somewhat like sharpened pinchers. Turning, she stared down at the unmoving body before considering what she had to do.

'I have to cut the cloth on his mouth, and make him cough up the blood first'

At this she leaned forward, preparing herself to cut away the bandages surrounding Zabuza's mouth. However, her movements were cut short when she saw the widening eyes of Zabuza, his black pupils staring in her direction after just waking up, and a hand gripping her wrist to halt her progress.

"I can do it myself," said Zabuza, shifting slightly with a groan from how weary and pained his body felt.

"Oh, so you came back to life already," pointed out the figure and if Zabuza had known better he would have suspected the figure had been joking. Wincing from pain, Zabuza rose slowly, laying his arms on his thighs as he sat there. Pain racking his body, but having dealt enough with pain enough to block most of it out, Zabuza reached up and began to draw the senbon out from the side of his neck, blood splattering as the metal weapons were yanked out.

"Geez, you're so rough."

"Zabuza-sama, please don't take those out so roughly, either. You'll die for real."

Growling at that, Zabuza tossed the second and last of the senbons away and stared down at the ground for a moment, thinking over recent events. After a moment, he flicked his eyes towards the figure crouched beside him, giving the mask staring back at him a hard look. "How long are you going to wear that fake mask? Take it off."

The figure seemed to ponder that for a moment before nodding his head. "I forgot because it's been a while since I used this…" she said before reaching up and gripping the mask. Slowly drawing it away from her face, the figure revealed her face; a flawless physique with dark brown eyes and firm, but well formed lips. The girl stared at Zabuza, her lips curving up into a warm smile as he gazed at the older man.

"It was also nice to use it to pull of that act. If I hadn't stepped it, you would have surely been dead. Although…" and here she faulted, wondering how best to put this. "When I tried to take you away, the man you were fighting with seemed to catch on and attacked. I defended and managed to get away, but I'm sure they know you're still alive."

Shaking his head Zabuza stiffly ran his fingers through his short, brown hair. "Guess it can't be helped. But you know you didn't need to attack my neck if you wanted to put me into a near-death state. You're still so wicked."

"I couldn't help it," informed the girl. "I didn't want to scar your beautiful body, Zabuza-sama. And it's easier to aim at the neck since it had fewer muscles."

Zabuza snorted at this before trying to rise to his feet and failing miserably. Grunting as he settled himself back down upon the ground, the girl responded in turn.

"You won't be able to function properly for a week or so. But maybe you'll be able to move soon, Zabuza-sama.

Zabuza stared at her for a long moment, his eyes boring into the girl's own who didn't seem fazed for a second. "You're pure, clever, and not tainted at all. That's what I like about you…"

This response immediately set the girl's cheeks to flushing and slightly scoffing at the comment, quickly responded, "I'm still a child, so…" and then just shifted to her feet to stand over Zabuza. Turning about, the girl noticed the surroundings about them and said, "The fog has lifted." Barely receiving any acknowledgement, he went on, "Will you be okay next time?"

It was unlike Zabuza to even hesitate when asked such a question concerning fighting, but when he thought about it, a small amount of fear began to seep into him; something that he had never before felt. The feeling felt uncomfortable to the cold hearted killer and try as he might to push it away, he just could not. Staring straight ahead, he began to speak.

"This job isn't paying enough for someone as big as the Yellow Wraith. If we were in different circumstances I'd demand more money, but seeing as how we need the cash and Gato could pull out at any time I can't. I also can't back out of this deal. What would it make us look like if we did? Sissies that's what. No one would hire us again. No…I'll fight the Yellow Wraith again, but we have to be careful. Very careful…the man's dangerous."

The girl, who had never seen her master and traveling partner so weary before was momentarily taken aback by his words. Quickly recovering, she bowed her head. "As you wish Zabuza-sama. Now let's get you back to the hideout to start your recovery."

XxX

Team 7 stood along the grassy shoreline a short distance off from the main household of Tazuna. It was already close to noon and they were assembled here to discuss the new training regime they would undergo to try to improve their chances of survival in the coming days.

In front of them, with his hands rummaging through his pack, Naruto sat grumbling to himself as he searched for something With an "ahah" and a quick yank of his wrist, their sensei finally arose, a few noticeable pieces of blank paper in his right hand.

Grinning to his team, he brandished the paper before handing out the slips, keeping one for himself for demonstration purposes. "These pieces of paper are known as chakra paper. They will help us identify the element or elements you have an affinity towards. While elemental training isn't usually started until later on, I think the situation demands we get you started. Be warned, manipulating the elements is much harder than you think and will require your complete attention and focus. Got it?"

Receiving nods from his team, Naruto went on to explain the principles of the paper. "Now, all you have to do is channel your chakra through the paper. The paper will react differently depending on your affinity. If it wrinkles, you're lightning. If the paper is cut in half, wind. If it becomes soggy, water. It burns if fire. And finally, it crumbles if you're earth. Now let's show you what I mean."

Looking at the paper he was holding, Naruto pushed a small amount of his chakra into it, waiting for the reaction to occur. Almost instantly, the paper split in half signifying his affinity towards wind. However, the process didn't stop there. After that, one half of the paper began to grow soggy while the second half became wrinkled.

The onlookers watched intriguingly, applying what they had just been lectured onto the spectacle before them.

"Now then I'm sure you all noticed what happened. I have three affinities. My main affinity is wind with water coming up as a close second. My third is lightning, but it's only a minor affinity currently. All Jounin ranked shinobi tend to know two elements, while a few even know three. Rarely do you see anyone with more than that such as our Hokage who knows all five."

Stopping here to let them take it all in, Naruto then began to press on with his lecture. "The interesting part about elements is that each of the five great elemental countries leans more heavily on one type of element versus the others. Obviously from the name, our country leans more towards fire, Wind Country towards wind, and so on. This also tends to occur within some families as well. For example, I wouldn't be surprised if you, Sasuke, had an affinity towards fire due to almost all Uchiha having that specific affinity. Your family is known for their fire manipulation and has even created new jutsus due to their pride in their capabilities concerning that particular element."

At this all eyes looked to Sasuke who just puffed out his chest, swelling up with pride for the great Uchiha clan.

"However…that has also been the downfall of many Uchihas throughout history." Hearing that, all three, especially Sasuke, grew confused and glanced back at their sensei for an explanation. "Because of their efficiency in the fire element, many Uchihas deemed themselves worthy only to use that element. Because of that, many enemies knowing their ways would simply use strong water jutsus to overpower their fire techniques. While each element is strong against a certain element, it's also weak to one as well and in that case water is strong against fire."

Wanting to backtrack a bit, Naruto then began to speak before he could be interrupted. "As I said, elements can be hereditary. This is true in my case as well. I gained a strong water affinity due to my mother who was from Whirlpool Country, known for their water usage. I gained my lightning from my father. Wind is all my own and only a few in Fire Country have that particular element so it was tough learning jutsus relating to wind."

Seeing the quiet stares aimed up at him and thinking that they should continue on with the lesson Naruto waved in their direction. "Anyways, go ahead and push some chakra into the paper. You first Sasuke."

With the prompting, Sasuke nodded and began pushing some of his chakra towards his hand, watched the paper intently. Not surprising to any of them after what their sensei had just said the paper immediately burst into flames followed by many of the paper chunks wrinkling up.

"Hmm interesting. Fire with a minor affinity in lightning. Very few have two affinities at your age. Guess we have a little bit of wiggle room with your training then. Next, Rina."

Hearing her name, Rina began to channel her chakra into her slip of paper. Immediately, the paper became soggy. While she had known her element was water, Rina was slightly put off that she hadn't gained a second like Sasuke had. 'Just another thing he'll thrown in my face'

"Just like before you have water Rina. You're just like our mother." Rina, gaining a smile at the thought, then heard Naruto beckon for Shino to start.

Proceeding through the same procedure, Shino's paper simply crumbled indicating he was earth-based.

"All right…so we have all the elements within our little group eh? Very nice. That can turn out be quite advantageous. Now then, to go along with this training I will provide each of you with one elemental jutsu. Sasuke, while you have two, I think fire would be better to teach right now since lightning can sometimes be tricky."

Receiving a nod in understanding, Naruto went on. "First off Sasuke. You already know a short-ranged C-rank fire jutsu so adding a mid-range will help with your diversity. This jutsu is called Ryūka no Jutsu (Dragon Fire Technique)and acts like a flamethrower of sorts. Here are the seals."

Shifting from snake, dragon, rabbit, and finally tiger slowly enough so that Sasuke could memorize the sequence, Naruto then shouted out the technique, leaning forward while doing so. From out of his mouth streamed a long, thin line of hot fire, the flame meeting the crashing ocean water beside them before bursting into a cloud of white steam. All those present covered their eyes, the hot steam heating their bodies up to sweating before finally Naruto released the jutsu and smirked down at Sasuke.

"Careful where you fire it though. It's hot enough to melt rock so a teammate would not be best to hit with it." Seeing the understanding in Sasuke's eyes, Naruto then turned towards Rina.

"Hmm…what to teach you. You already know a few water jutsus already." Naruto thought for a moment, his fingers coming up to cup his chin as he pondered over the various water techniques he knew. After a few moments, Naruto seemed to brighten, having thought of a good technique to teach her.

"I think the Suiryūben (Water Whip) jutsu would be good for you. It'll help you keep just out of range, but allow you to strike out at your opponent." Flicking through the rat, dog, and ox seals, he waited for Rina to show that she had memorized the sequence before letting his hand draw to the side. Whispering the name this time, a long whip-like object seemed to materialize out of thin air within his grasp. Flicking it like the name suggested, he cracked the water whip, letting the tip wrap about a nearby branch before yanking it back so that the piece of wood landed in his free hand.

"This technique is basically a whip made of water and can be used to hold or pull someone or something. But as you know, all water techniques that are formed outside need to have some sort of water supply near at hand. Without it, these types of jutsus are hard to create because of the lack of water. It has been said that our Nidaime Hokage was so proficient with water that he was able to literally combine water molecules in the air to form his water, which would take an incredible amount of control and chakra to do. You definitely aren't at this level so remember the requirements to using this and you should be fine."

"And what of me, sensei?" questioned Shino.

"I have an interesting jutsu that might work well with your bugs, Shino. Because you haven't dealt with nature manipulation before I can only give you a D-rank jutsu, but it should work well for you. It's called Doton: Shuriken no Jutsu (Earth Release: Stone Shuriken Technique) and you basically make shuriken by picking up the dirt beneath you and tossing it at your opponent."

Naruto crouched down, scooping a bit of dirt from the ground and tossing it towards a tree they all watched as the dirt particles quickly fused together, forming small shuriken shaped projectiles that seemed to easily impale themselves in the bark of the tree.

"And how will this technique work well with my bugs?" asked Shino, his analysis of the display not proving to draw any real conclusion on how to put the two together.

"I'll tell you later. First you need to actually get the jutsu down." Here he faced all three. "Now then since all of you know a new thing to work on I'll leave you to try them out. I'll be back later to observe you once I handle a few things if I don't get distracted."

"What are you going to do Nii-san?" inquired Rina.

"Oh this and that. Don't worry about it. Stop worrying about me and get to practicing twerps!" responded Naruto before he walked away, leaving the three to their own affairs.

XxX

Naruto walked through the small fishing village, the small town holding an air of complete and utter defeat at the hands of Gato. After leaving his team, Naruto had wanted to see firsthand what was happening in this country and what he had seen made his fingers curl into fists, his jaw tighten as he took in everything around him.

People ranging from small children to weary elders huddled along the road, up against the walls of the run down shops, some raising their hand at his passing begging for money while some didn't seem to have the energy to do even that. Most of these beggars wore rags for clothing, the rags barely covering up anything. The normal embarrassment to this fact wasn't even evident for these people had suffered so much for so long that they didn't even care how they appeared to others, too focused on trying to obtain money or food for themselves and their families.

Often an occasional building Naruto passed appeared to be razed; the blackened, charred husks of their wooden skeletons being the only thing that marked that there had once been a building there. Boats were overturned and in splinters along the beach and even here people sought refuge from the elements, tying raggedy old blankets to the mast as a form of shelter from the ever prevailing wind.

Yet this was not the worst in Naruto's utmost opinion, not even close. The worst part was the horrendous smell in some areas of the village. It seemed that when Gato or his lackies were not satisfied, they enacted their rage on the people of the village. Bodies littered many of the alleyways, covered the beaches, their dead eyes staring up at the sun, the faces that weren't melting away from the exposure showing the pain they had been in before their deaths. The smell perforated the air in the village, causing Naruto to gag as he inhaled the acrid and rotten smell that came off the bodies. It made the young man sick to his stomach to see all this, his nose wrinkling in disgust and his hatred growing anew for the man called Gato.

Gato was treating these people less than even animals, refusing them the right to let them bury or do honor to those that he or his men had killed. He prohibited the bodies from being moved, making the rotting forms to serve as a reminder and warning of what happens when they did not do as Gato said. All this killed all thoughts of rebellion within the villagers' thoughts and so they just dealt with it, shifting sad gazes away from previous friends or family without shedding even a single tear, having shed so many before.

Naruto was furious with what was happening, his blood boiling as each frightened, scarred, pleading face stared at him as he passed, their eyes begging him to help them. It sickened the young man and he couldn't even imagine what the people of Tazuna's village were going through. He just had to do something.

It was here that Naruto felt a slight tug on his arm and whirling about, hand snapping down to his weapons pouch, he faced the person. He froze almost instantly when he saw not an attacker but a dirt encrusted girl, her young eyes staring up at him with her arm shaking from the sheer effort of just lifting her hand up so high. Naruto stared down at the girl and the longer he looked, the harder it was to keep the tears forming in the corners of his eyes from falling. She had short brown hair with a set of matching eyes. She didn't seem to have washed herself in days and there was a small bruise that covered her skin just beneath a layer of grime and filth. The sight was truly pitiful to the man, disheartening to see such a young child forced to endure the life Gato was forcing upon the village. Her brown eyes gazed into Naruto's cerulean blue, conveying without words her feelings and question for food.

Knowing what she wanted Naruto crouched to one knee, moving to eye level with the small girl before smiling sadly at her. His heart cried out as he witnessed the spark of life in her eyes, the prospect of actual food giving her tired face a small amount of life which appeared to have been wiped out long before now.

"You're hungry aren't you?" asked Naruto, rummaging through his pockets for the scroll he kept extra food in in case of emergency. To him, this was an emergency and he knew he had to do something for this child.

"Ye-," started the girl but stopped and swiped her tongue across parched lips. Trying again she answered him, "Yes sir."

Naruto nodded and pushing a miniscule amount of chakra into the scroll after finding it, a few oranges and a sandwich emerged from the smoke that followed. It was so convenient that scrolls kept the things stored within it in a suspended animation thus preventing food from rotting on long trips like this. Grabbing up the food, he handed it all to the girl whose face had turned shocked at the amount she was receiving, having only expected a few pieces of bread crumbs or something of similar nature.

Naruto saw this and once again winced for the current situation she was in. Putting his scroll away he rose, standing to his full height.

The girl switched her gaze between the food now in her hands and the man who had gifted her with such a treasure. She once again tried to speak, tried to offer her thanks for the huge meal, but could not form the words to do so. Instead she placed all the food in a small sack at her side and slowly walked forward, wrapping her arms around his legs in a hug.

Reaching down, Naruto gently placed a hand on the back of her head and rubbed the greasy hair, letting it remain until she finally pulled away, tears falling from her eyes because of the generosity of this stranger.

"Where are your parents, little one?" Naruto questioned.

The girl shook her head at the question and just said, "Gato," before gaining a frightened and pained look.

Naruto could only guess at what had happened and could understand the fear she exhibited for the man that had caused so much pain and suffering around her . "So you're an orphan?"

She nodded her head and Naruto then asked, "Is there an orphanage of some kind you stay at?"

She nodded again and when Naruto asked her if she could take him there she reached up shakily, taking his hand in hers before guiding him down the dirt road leading towards the outskirts of the village.

The two walked for a time, neither speaking and both avoiding eye contact with many of the people lining the streets in search of money. Barely any of the stores they passed were actually open, many having wooden planks over the windows or as before being burnt to the ground. The girl guided him down the streets, turning left, right, and then finally making a final left before Naruto saw the building he could only assume as the orphanage come into sight.

The building was like all the others around it. It was composed mostly of wood with a few shattered windows and had no door to speak of. In the lawn were several children who were busy kicking a ball, but didn't seem to have much energy to do so.

At the sight of the girl who they all knew and a stranger walking with her hand in hand, all of the children assembled outside stopped what they were doing and stared at the pair. While some wanted to rush over, they all held back out of fear that had been nurtured or beaten into them for the past few years by Gato's men.

When one child ran into the building and emerged a few seconds later with an older looking female, Naruto guessed that this was the person set to watching over the orphans. While dressed somewhat more presentable than those deeper into a town, her clothes were still made up of rags.

The woman gave Naruto a strange and cautious expression, one to which Naruto didn't begrudge her for giving him. Releasing the girl's hand he approached the woman, bowing his head to her.

"You are the caretaker for these children?" he asked politely.

"I am. Who are you?" the woman asked, still giving him that look.

"My name is Naruto and I'm one of the shinobi sent to guard Tazuna-san while he completes his bridge," he responded in kind.

The woman's body seemed to relax somewhat at the news, having heard of the man going out of the country to bring back aid. Still she remained alert, not sure of the reason he had for coming to her orphanage and consequently asked, "Why are you here then? Shouldn't you be guarding him if that's your job?"

"Oh I am. I can be in two places at once if you must know." The woman's face showed confusion, but didn't ask the obvious question. "My reason for being here is this young lady," indicating the girl who had led him here.

The caretaker stared at the girl who looked up at her before pulling out the food Naruto had given her. "Kiya-san. He gave me all this food and wanted to see the orphanage."

The now identified Kiya looked between the two in surprise before her face seemed to soften. Turning back to Naruto she bowed her head as he had done previously "My apologies for asking so many questions. One can't be too careful right now. My name is Kiya. Might I ask why you gave our little Soseki so much food?"

"I don't approve of what's going on around here, Kiya-san. People shouldn't be living like this, especially Soseki, and coupled with the fact she looks just like my sister when she was her age, how could I not help," answered Naruto.

"Thank you then. You are a very generous person, Naruto-san," Kiya said.

"It's really no trouble and while I'm here I thought I might as well help and give the kids a little show," Naruto responded with a friendly grin.

"And how will you go about that?" Kiya asked, wondering what could be on this man's mind.

"Well first off I thought I might get you guys some more food. What do you say to that?" questioned Naruto.

"Any bit of extra food would be greatly appreciated. We get by right now, but soon it won't be enough to feed all the children here."

"I understand," and here Naruto raised his voice. "Hey kids, who wants to see some magic?"

"Magic?" asked everyone in chorus including Kiya.

Instead of verbally answering Naruto just beckoned for them to follow him, scooping up a pair of fishing nets from a seemingly abandoned dock on the way down to the beach that was right next to the orphanage. Once there he instructed the children to spread the nets as wide as possible and to be prepared for a surprise.

Done with their task, they all stood back to watch as Naruto flashed through a few hand seals before spreading both his palms out wide in front him. A few of those assembled saw the surface of the water begin to stir, bubbling up in a froth, but all saw when the water burst upwards, shooting nearly twenty feet into the air. The water didn't stop there and curving towards land, it crashed onto the spread nets, drenching some of those too close until finally Naruto released the technique, revealing two nets chock full of squirming, flopping fish.

Just like the fish, all those watching gave Naruto similar expressions, not really knowing what had just happened. When their brains finally caught up, all the children leaped forward towards Naruto, tackling him to the ground and praising him loudly for the awesome magic trick he had done. The man laughed as he went down, covered from head to toe in clinging children that seemed to have no desire to release him soon.

Kiya not looking a gift horse in the mouth called over four of the older boys to carry the fish filled nets to the orphanage and place them in buckets to be dealt with later. After they had left with bright and happy smiles on their faces Kiya then moved over to the overun form of Naruto. Gazing down at the children piled high atop him and glad that they could all find some source of happiness in these dismal of times, she called them to order.

"Children children, please get off Naruto-san. If I'm not mistaken he still has a few more tricks he'd like to show us."

At first the children had groaned at being ordered off their new play thing of sorts, but when informed of potentially more surprises and tricks, they couldn't get off of him fast enough.

Naruto stood up quickly, twisting his arm about a few times to get a kink that had formed for being under the heavy mass for a few minutes. Giving his thanks to Kiya for saving him from the not so terrible death of being overloaded by cuteness, he then ruffled two of the children's heads.

"That's right. I have a couple more things I'd like to show you guys that I think might help. Might I ask where you get your lumber around here?" Naruto requested.

"Just a little way into the forest," responded Kiya, pointing in the direction that led outside of the village fringes. "We always chop what we need there."

Naruto nodded in appreciation for the answer before hoisting a giggling and squealing Soseki into the air and onto his shoulders. Making sure she was stable up there, he was then crowded in on all sides by the children as he made for the requested area.

Having journeyed through the crop of trees, Naruto stood at the edge of a wide and cleared area, the flat tops of stumps littering the area indicating that trees were indeed cut from here. Dropping Soseki from his shoulders, he turned to the group and began to explain his second trick, drawing all eyes towards him with a puzzling question.

"Who wants a new house to sleep in?"

Those assembled stared dumbly at Naruto, not really sure of what he meant by that. They already had a house so why would they need a new one?

Not receiving an answer for his question Naruto turned to Kiya. "You do need a new house do you not? That old orphanage building looks a little rundown and I think somewhere where the children could potentially avoid getting sick would be good yes?"

"I suppose, but how do you…" began Kiya, but Naruto had already turned his back to her. Momentarily focusing chakra into one of his hands, Naruto then cocked his elbow, drawing his right hand to the side. With a quick jerk of his wrist, he suddenly swung his hand horizontally. To the naked eye, the air before Naruto seemed to ripple, the sight barely perceptible to everyone watching.

The sound of several loud snaps followed the almost simple gesture, tree branches rustled, and the clear groan of trees was heard. Ever so slowly, a thin line began to trail across the trunks of each and every tree before the group due to being cut by Naruto's wind. The trunks held there for a few seconds, almost appearing to resist being forcefully removed from their bases, but in the end they could resist no longer and began to lean towards the viewers, threatening to collapse on top of them. Everyone placed their hands over their heads, trying with that simple action to protect themselves from the falling behemoths, but they needed not fear. As if bidding them away, Naruto flicked both hands nonchalantly to the side, the trees blowing to the side in turn and away from the group, saving them all.

"How did you…?" tried a startled Kiya, not believing what she had just seen.

"Oh magic of course. I did say I had a few tricks to show didn't I?" responded an amused Naruto.

"Yeah but...to do that!" Kiya cried in bemusement.

"Almost all us shinobi can do something like this in some shape or form. It's not hard once you get the hang of it," answered Naruto with a chuckle.

"Any other tricks you'd like to show us?"

"Well I do have one…it's sorta how I'm here and watching Tazuna at the same time. Wanna see?" When he saw the nod in response from Kiya and the kids Naruto crossed his fingers before him before whispering something under his breath. What followed would startle the watchers even more than they had been already for out of the smoke that formed around Naruto, perfect copies of the tall, young blonde appeared, surrounding him on all sides.

"Tada!" cried out fifty Narutos, putting their fingers up in a peace sign.

"Wh…wh…whaaaaat?" echoed everyone, shocked at seeing so many Narutos.

Naruto laughed at their hilarious expressions, tears coming to his eyes as he laughed his heart out. After a good amount of time had passed and everyone had slowly come to a realization at what had happened, the original Naruto ordered his clones to grab a trunk two apiece and carry them to the orphanage.

Guiding his audience away from the clearing and back to the orphanage, they all arrived to witness all the Naruto's cutting away first the bark of the trees. This was then followed by them slicing the remaining wood into equal slabs of wood, the procedure precise and accurate to the inch so that each piece of either plywood or some other type of lumber used for building was exactly the same.

While all of this was going on, Naruto was busy explaining to those around him that he had received some training in cutting lumber as well as building structures. His ability to duplicate himself has been very much sought after by construction companies and they had paid top marks for his aid in putting up new buildings, villages, and small towns. While it wasn't the most common of jobs a shinobi took, Naruto was a kind man and whenever he saw somewhere he could help, he was glad to offer his service especially if it helped others such as building new homes for people.

Once the wood had been cut, the clones then sorted the wood into similar piles. They had to wait a time for the clone Naruto had sent to the tiny hardware store deeper in town to come back with the necessary items, but once he had the clones then set to work, grabbing up hammers or anything they could use to pound nails and began to create first the outer wooden skeleton before it was filled in by many hardworking and eager Narutos.

During the few hours that passed while the construction was underway, the original Naruto helped in cleaning and salting the fish that had been caught. Some of the seafood was placed over fires to cook, but most was stored for a later time. Once the fish had been cooked, it was generously portioned out to the children by Naruto and Kiya, each child stuffing him or herself so much that their stomachs swelled.

Night was fast approaching when the new house was finished. Many of the children had dozed off while waiting, the food having gotten to them, but were not grumpy in the slightest when they were gently shaken to wakefulness. When Naruto had finally announced the completion of the house, all the children cheered out in happiness, ecstatic smiles adorning their faces. Rushing forward, the orphans stormed into their new home, moving from room to room in examination of the freshly built structure which was now two-stories versus their previously one-story abode.

When Naruto saw that Soseki had stayed behind, but seemed to really want to go in, Naruto reached down and grabbed her much smaller hand, tugging her lightly along as he guided her into the house. Having gained the memories from his now nonexistent clones, Naruto gestured to this room and that room, pointing out the kitchen, the living area, and the numerous bedrooms. He had sadly not had anything at hand to build in plumbing, carpeting, stoves, or any of the comfort accessories, but had figured that they could get by so long as they had an actual place to call home that wasn't their rat nest from before.

It was with a happy heart and tears streaming down her cheeks that Kiya approached Naruto. Wiping a hand across her eyes to rub away the tears, she then began to speak.

"I really don't know what to say, Naruto-san. This is just all too much to take in that I can't form words to show my gratitude for all you have done. You didn't have to do all this but you did. I don't know how to repay you for all this."

Naruto smiled at the woman, knowing probably what was running through her head. "It's no problem. You don't owe me anything. I had some free time to kill and it was my honor to help these orphans." Here Naruto paused before continuing on, "But if you really was to repay me you could answer some questions I have."

"Anything. Anything!" answered Kiya quickly, a little desperate to do anything she could to aid the man that had helped them so much.

Chuckling at her eagerness, Naruto then asked his first question, his mood becoming more somber. "How long has Gato been here?"

"He came around five or six years ago. We believed him when he said he was here to help us since we weren't getting by all that much back then and saw him as someone that could help get the country back on its feet. Obviously it's only gotten worse since he arrived…"

"Do you think that with the bridge things could get better?"

Kiya bit at her lower lip at this, hesitating for a moment before responding. "Even if Tazuna-san can finish the bridge I don't think it will do any good. Gato will probably just take it over and charge us even more for using it," and Kiya's mood sullied at her own admittance.

Naruto nodded, having been thinking along the same lines ever since he and his team had arrived on the small island. "Do you know where I can find Gato by chance? He must live somewhere around here."

"I don't really know. We know he lives somewhere on this island, but I can't tell you the exact location. Maybe one of his men know where," answered Kiya with a frown at not having been of much help.

Naruto sighed, knowing exactly what he would have to do and the idea rather displeased him for he saw no other choice in the matter. With his final question answered Naruto bowed his head to the woman. "Thank you for helping. Whether you believe or not you did answer some of my questions and I am grateful. I have to get going, but I promise I'll be back soon to check up on you guys. Give my best to Soseki will you?"

"I will and thank you again. You did a great service here and you won't be forgotten I can assure you."

Smiling at that, Naruto excused himself, making his way out of the house and into the night leaving behind many happy children, the memory of their cheerful smiles filling his heart with happiness.

XxX

 **I'm ending the chapter here. I'll save some of the more important details I have for the next issue. Thanks for reading so far and sorry for the small wait. I had some annoying jury duty stuff to deal with that shouldn't have lasted so long.**


	6. Waves III: Dealing with Gato

**Sorry for the late update. Stuff in life to deal with. Lots of summer trips with little wifi. We'll see if I can manage to get out another chapter before I leave Thursday for California. Oh and I've been meaning to do this, but a big shout out Biscione for being a pal and helping me out with several kinks concerning this story and another. Very creative mind you have sir.**

I do not own Naruto and there's no chance I ever will.

Chapter Six:

The following day found Team 7 right back where they had started the previous day, sitting on the shoreline just a ways from Tazuna's house. All but one of the children looked pale due to chakra depletion the day prior with Rina looking the same as ever due to her ungodly recovery rate. They had all worked their butts off yesterday, trying to perfect their individual techniques given to them by Naruto, but none of them were at the level they really wanted to be at wielding their respective jutsus.

"Let's see the progress you guys have made," said Naruto and flicked his gaze to Shino indicating he would start off the demonstrations for the morning.

Rising, Shino moved a little ways from the rest of the group so as not to endanger them. Scooping up a handful of dirt, Shino threw the rock particles straight out in front of him before moving through the necessary hand seals at a reasonable pace. Some of the dirt flying through the air began consolidate together, forming crude looking shuriken that hit the tree and then exploded in a shower of dirt upon contact, none piercing the thick bark.

Naruto watched the entire spectacle and knew instantly why the shuriken had not done what they were supposed to do; a fact he passed onto Shino.

"Good job for your first day of manipulating your element. You've got the right idea. Problem was that you didn't push enough chakra into the dirt before you threw it. There wasn't enough chakra in the dirt to manipulate properly, which is why they look a bit deformed. It's an easy fix so no worries. Try again and this time focus more chakra into it."

Taking the advice, Shino drew another handful of soil from the ground and repeated the process as before, this time concentrating on siphoning more of his chakra into what he was holding. The second attempt was much better than the first with four shuriken forming and actually piercing the tree.

"That's the ticket. I bet you'll have it down soon enough, " Naruto complimented before calling up Rina to partake in the show and tell.

Moving to the edge of the shoreline thinking that the more moisture in the air the better, Rina performed the hand seals for her own technique, her right hand drifting down to the side where water seemed to grow from midair within her palm. The object that formed appeared similar to a whip; it definitely had the length right. The problem was that the water bubbled and writhed, threatening to pop at any moment.

"Hmm you've got it mostly down," commented Naruto while staring at the whip in his sister's hand. "The only issue is that you're not focusing enough on the chakra while manipulating the shape of your water. That's why it looks weird. Put more effort in that and you should be good to go. "

Rina knew she hadn't gotten the technique down perfectly, but it still rankled the girl that she didn't impress her brother by learning it all in one day. Huffing and plopping back down onto the ground, Rina watched as Sasuke stood and walked a fair distance away from the three so as to not to risk their lives with the melting capabilities of his technique.

Just as the other two before him, Sasuke moved through the various seals to activate his jutsu and drawing forward, spouted out a stream of blistering hot fire from his mouth. The tree that Sasuke had targeted instantly burst into flames from the severe heat of the move, the wood melting before their very eyes until only the charred hulk of the tree remained standing.

"That's the ticket!" congratulated Naruto, clapping his hands together, which served to irritate Rina even more.

Sasuke smirked back at the group, purposely shooting a glance towards Rina before snapping his eyes back to his sensei when he began to speak again.

"Although it took you a bit longer than most to draw the fire out, you need to add a bit more chakra into the mix to really give it some umph, and you need to learn how to sustain the technique for more than three seconds."

It was Sasuke's turn to scowl, having thought that he had performed the technique perfectly like he always did.

Seeming not to notice although the glint in his eyes proved otherwise, Naruto assembled his team before him just like the day before.

"Since you all have seem to have your individual techniques down for the most part, you are to work the kinks out and train however you see fit for the rest of the day after. Spar, do more tree-climbing, whatever you think is best, but don't just stop after you've worked out your problems in your jutsus. You won't improve otherwise. I wish I could stay to help you guys out today, but I've got a few more things I have to take care of that require my urgent attention," Naruto said.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Rina, curious at what could be drawing her brother's attention away from his team.

"You'll find out later maybe," Naruto retorted with a teasing grin before turning his back to them and lifting his arm over his head in farewell.

Just as he was about to depart, he stopped and called back over his shoulder at the trio, "Oh and if you manage to get your techniques down today, I'll teach you something new tomorrow. That's only if you perfect each of your jutsus, though, cause I won't if you don't. " And Naruto left at that, giving his team something to work towards.

XxX

Tazuna and an older man that Naruto didn't recognize were arguing profusely when Naruto approached the bridge half an hour later. Naruto could see the desperation in both from their movements and wondered what they could be arguing about. When all was said and done, the second man sighed before walking away, barely registering Naruto's presence as he passed by the blonde.

Turning to gaze back at the man, his curiosity peaked, Naruto swiveled back around and made his way over to Tazuna, carefully taking note the aged man's agitation as he paced back and forth before the foot of the bridge.

"So what was that all about?" came out Naruto as walked up to Tazuna.

Tazuna rotated his head towards Naruto before halting his pacing, his body seeming to deflate. "He's just scared. We all are. What we're doing, every day we risk not only our lives, but also the lives of our friends and family. Can you imagine how stressful that is?"

"I can imagine. The life of a shinobi is difficult and we risk our lives all the time. I'm sure he'll come around."

"The problem is he's not the only one. I've already lost four this week and at this rate I won't have enough builder come next week," Tazune said morosely, somewhat depressed as the thought once again plagued his mind.

"Well," Naruto started, "What if I could find you some more men?"

Tazuna snorted. "Where do you expect to find more men? All those that came here were the only ones willing to take the risk against Gato."

Naruto chuckled and tapped the side of his head, "Really Tazuna-san? How do you think I've been guarding you all this time?"

The man stared dumbly at Naruto, "By watching me?"

"You're half right there. I have been watching you and I haven't."

This comment puzzled Tazuna greatly and seeing this Naruto flicked his hands up, placing his fingers in the familiar cross, the action quickly followed by a puff of smoke. After the smoke had cleared, standing next to the blonde was a copy of himself, both grinning cheekily at Tazuna.

"I can make clones of myself. I've had a clone watching you this entire time."

Once Tazuna had gotten over his initial surprise his face became more serious, the building boss within him coming to light as he asked, "And how's one err…clone going to help me? I need more than that."  
"That's not an issue. Some call me the one-man army back in Konoha. I can make as many clones as you need. See?" and after a moment and an explosion of smoke, the ground around Naruto was crawling with his clones, the number totaling up to one hundred strong.

Tazune was speechless when he saw the sheer number the blonde could produce, his eyes gazing across the large group. This shock, however, was soon replaced by a calculating look, the man's mind racing.

"And what would you let me do with these clones?"

"My dear Tazuna. They are all yours to command. Do what you want with them. Some skills you might have to train since I might not be knowledgeable on some bridge building techniques, but once you teach one, they'll all know I assure you," Naruto responded, quite amused at the moment.

Tazuna was definitely going to take advantage of the extra help and nodding, ordered the group to split up into ten groups with ten Narutos set to each task that needed to be done. Some of the clones took to mixing the concrete; some carried wood planks to various areas along the already built bridge. Other Narutos climbed up the side of the bridge with their feet, an action that amazed the remaining group of workers that had stayed to finish the bridge, and began hammering in nails.

After observing the mass of Narutos working hard, taking to their individual tasks with dedication and vigor, a new problem arose for Tazuna. Now instead of having too little workers, he took note that he might not have enough jobs to offer the crowd of clones. This, however, didn't bother the man nearly as much as having not enough workers and he ordered the clones to wherever he considered needed help, putting as many hammers, chisels, and other implements he could scrounge up into their hands until it appeared as though all had a job.

"Thank you Naruto-san. This will help greatly."

Naruto waved his hand at the gratitude, not caring for it. "It's no problem really. I'm happy to help."

"Speaking of help, I heard some rumors that someone with blonde hair built an entire orphanage in one night. That wouldn't happen to have been you would it?" Tazuna asked.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "Yeah it was. I felt bad for those children. Forced to live like that is just terrible."

"Yes it is. That's why I'm trying to build this bridge. This is the only way I can see of helping my people," responded Tazuna, an inner fire burning in his eyes, fueling his ambition and dedication to the project at hand.

"You're a good man, Tazuna-san. Speaking of the orphanage, I noticed there were a lot of orphans. Gato didn't kill that many people here did he? That's seemed unlikely in my opinion," Naruto queried.

Tazuna didn't answer the question at first, his eyes watching and observing his men and the clones hard at work; his workers smiling and laughing as they worked, fueled by the happy and cheerful atmosphere the clones working alongside them gave off. The scene was something that was not often seen in his country since Gato has arrived, the billionaire followed by a wave of misery, starvation, and desperation that infected the population of Wave Country. How could that man be so evil, so greedy to enact such desolation and destruction upon his people? It was sick. It was torture. It was death for so many of Wave's citizens. They had been poor true, but they had also been happy. Now a smile was a rare sight within the country that had kept on going with happiness before Gato's arrival. Now a frown or a crying child was the norm. How this rankled Tazuna greatly. This project was his redemption for his vice of alcohol. To not do this was a sin in Tazuna's mind and he would be damn if he stopped for fear of death.

"Tazuna-san?" came Naruto's voice, interrupting the man's thoughtful examination of his country's problems.

Shaking his head, Tazuna finally spoke up. "You asked about the orphans right?" Naruto nodded. "You're right. Even Gato wouldn't have killed that many men and women. He would have lost too much money if he did. The man is too greedy for that."

"What did he do then?" Naruto questioned.

Tazuna turned his back to the bridge, staring in the direction of his village as he spoke. "Probably half of the orphans you saw have parents that are still alive. When someone doesn't satisfy Gato he does two things. He either destroys everything around them before killing them, or he takes them away. Where? We don't know. We can only guess, but we think the women are taken and sold as slaves and the man sent to work who knows where.

"And this happens on a regular basis?" Naruto asked.

"More than regularly. We lose a few people every week. Gato is bleeding us dry in every way possible," answered Tazuna with a frown on his face.

"Well I won't let it continue on my watch," Naruto said before creating five more clones of himself.

"What do you intend to do?" came the voice of Tazuna, wondering what the blonde had planned.

"I'm going to get some much needed information. Just keep working on your bridge Tazuna-san. If you need help, I'll know," and with that Naruto sprinted away towards town with his clones.

XxX

Both the original Naruto and clones took to the streets of the small village, each taking a sector so as to cover the maximum amount of ground in the shortest amount of time possible. He wanted this to be finished quick, not loving the prospect for what he was about to do. Moving through the village at a brisk pace, it didn't take Naruto to find exactly what he was searching for.

Before the original Naruto, two of Gato's many goons were harassing a small store owner in whom was on all fours, his head bowed to the ground as he tried to cover his head from the many hits the pair were enacting on the poor man. When the man would try and block any kicks to his stomach, one or both would then target his head with the butt of their swords or with their feet, never giving him a break.

"This is a message from Gato. Pay or die. Really simple for an old man like you. You should be grateful to him. He's giving you a second chance," said one, grinding the heel of his boot into the back of the old man's hand.

The storeowner gasped from the injury among many he had accumulated from the beating he was receiving. He hadn't received any customers for the last two weeks and the taxes Gato levied on the citizens let alone on stores were incredibly high. He barely had enough to buy food for him and his wife without the taxes and none with them. Because of that, Gato had sicked some of his goons on the old man, which had led to the confrontation presently.

"Please. I can't pay. It's just too much money," pleaded the old man, making to rise up only to be brutally knocked back down with a fist to the back of the head.

"Well that's a shame isn't it? I guess you need a little more persuasion. How about we cut your wife's hands and feet off then burn down your house around her? How would you like?" the second goon commented, suggestively drawing his rusty hunting knife from his leather belt.

"Now that isn't very nice to say. How about you apologize to him," came a new voice from behind.

Turning, both hired highwaymen saw Naruto standing just five feet away from them, his arms crossed over his chest with a stern expression on his face. The posture wasn't what startled the two the most though. No, it was Naruto's dark eyes, the cerulean orbs boring into them so coldly that they both felt shivers running down their spines, feeling as though he was staring into their very souls from that gaze. However, while quite unnerved by the tall, imposing Naruto who appeared not as a weak, old man, but a seasoned veteran, the two worked for Gato so what could the man possibility do without finding Gato's rage on him. Fueled by this thought, the first of the duo drew out his own knife, walking towards Naruto with a superior sneer.

"Oh yeah? And who's gonna make us do that? You?" he asked haughtily, stopping in front of Naruto and placing the sharpened edge of his knife up against the side of the blonde's throat.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, appearing completely unfazed with the knife being pressed up against him in such a vital area, no shred of worry lacing his handsome features. "I wouldn't advise that."

"You don't eh? Well too bad. No one orders us around unless it's Gato and gets away with it," came the response.

"Well I just told you to apologize so what are you going to do about?"

"That's it. I'll show you not to mess with us," shot back the goon before slicing his hand down holding the knife…or tried to only for Naruto's hand to snap up faster than any eye could see, his fingers locking about the man's wrist with an iron clad grip.

Before the goon could do anything at all to prevent the inevitable, he heard, "Bad choice. I did warn you," and then his wrist was painfully pulled to the side, Naruto's fingers crushing it so hard that the bone broke under the pressure with an audible 'snap'.

The man cried out as soon as the bone had been snapped, Naruto releasing the wrist only for the thug to tug it back and press it against his chest to try and relieve any pain that he could. Snapping his head back to stare at his partner he yelled out, "Tsuchi! Kill him!" he ordered, his voice laced over with pain.

The second goon, Tsuchi, seemed to hesitate for a moment, daunted by the sheer speed the blonde had exhibited a moment ago, but his anger quickly overruled any inhibitions he might have had. Letting out a roar and shouting, "Get away from Sataro!" he ran forward, knife arm raised high above his head and ready to snap it down at Naruto.

The first attack or any other attack would never hit Naruto. Easily dodging the attempted strike by taking a step back and turning his body to the side, Naruto avoided the downward cut aimed at his chest. Spurred on by the moment, Tsuchi went flying by with his knife chopping moving in a chopping motion. Appearing as though to be moving in slow motion, Naruto reached out with his right hand at just the right moment Grabbing at the front of Tsuchi's shirt and using the man's own momentum as an advantage, Naruto yanked the man straight down, throwing him down hard into the ground with as much strength as possible. Tsuchi's air within his body escaped him immediately upon impact, his lungs deflating significantly; a fact that was soon followed by Naruto slamming the middle of his foot down onto his throat.

Giving a savage scowl, Naruto applied a small amount of pressure through his foot, not releasing his hold even under the miserable and futile attempts by Tsuchi to rip the foot off of him. Holding the position for a few seconds, wanting Tsuchi to suffer just a small amount for the old man's sake, Naruto finally began to speak.

"You know, a common misconception about being choked or strangled is that when you're gasping for air, struggling to take in oxygen, it's your lungs that are crying out. In reality it's your brain screaming, desperate to get oxygen while it slowly begins to die due to oxygen deprivation, a condition more accurately termed hypoxia." As Naruto spoke, Tsuchi's body began to progressively slow, his hands grasping weakly at Naruto's ankle while his body began to slowly relax. "Your body should be weakening. You feel dizzy. I bet I sound very far away don't I? Don't worry it's completely normal."

Sataro, seeing his partner taken down so easily, began to slowly edge away while seeking some kind of escape route out of this situation. If he could only get away he might be able to find some of Gato's men and save his partner. His process was halted, however, when a kunai came flying out of nowhere, burying to the hilt within the ground barely an inch from the tips of the man's feet. "And where do you think you're going? Get over here now, " Naruto snapped out, removing his foot from Tsuchi's throat who violently inhaled air when the pressure was relieved from his wind pipe.

Sataro gulped, but obediently complied with the order, moving over to Naruto. "Both of you. Get on your hands and knees," Naruto barked out, giving the pair a cold look, his voice suggesting to them that they better do as he said or else.

Sataro did as he was told, dropping to the ground almost instantly. However, Tsuchi took a bit longer than he, wheezing heavily from his throat crushing just moments prior, but in the end he too struggled into the same position as his fellow.

Naruto watched the pair coolly, uncaring of any suffering or pain they might be going through after the show he had just witnessed between them and the defenseless old man. How he hated bullies. Voicing his thoughts aloud, Naruto said, "I despise those that use their authority and power to control, belittle, and abuse those under them like you two just did. It's shameful, degrading, and just out right distasteful. For your actions, I want you both to crawl on your knees to…" and here he looked towards the old man, who looked on indifferently, for a name.

"Ibuko. Tsara Ibuko."

Naruto nodded towards the man before continuing on. "To Tsara-san then. You will express you sincerest apologize to him for what you did to him. Understood?" They both bobbed their heads furiously and accepting the agreement, Naruto yelled out, "Then get to it," before kicking both in the rumps, sending them flying for a split second. Both stumbled from the strength behind their respective kicks, but not wishing to be harmed further by the strong man, they scurried hurriedly towards Ibuko before placing their foreheads on the ground in front of the man.

"We apologize for hitting you," started Sataro who was then followed by Tsuchi saying, "And how we threatened you, your wife, and your probably very beautiful home." Here they both stopped before shouting out in unison, "We're sorry!"

Ibuko stared down at the two groveling at his feet for a long moment, his lips showing nothing but a frown. "Apology most certainly not accepted. You both can go rot in Hell for all I care."

Both men stiffened at that, but did not move, now not knowing what to do that wouldn't cause more harm to be inflicted upon them. Naruto supplied the answer, appearing behind them. When he said, "Hey guys…" both lifted their heads off the ground to eye the blonde and Naruto quickly whacked both on the back of the head, knocking them out unconscious, their bodies slumping to the ground unceremoniously.

"Nicely done, Naruto-san," commented Ibuko with appreciation filling his voice, well pleased with how his former assaulters had been treated.

"You're very welcome, but might I ask how do you know my name?" came Naruto's questioning reply.

"This is a very small fishing town, Naruto-san. Word about you spread fast after your stunt of single handedly building the orphans a new home yesterday," Ibuko answered with a smile.

"Ah well it was nothing really. I was more than happy to help."

"You're a very humble young man I must say, Naruto-san. Most would have taken advantage somehow in similar circumstances. I've met my fair share of ninja in my life, but never have I seen such caring and modest one as yourself," and here Ibuko leaned forward conspiratorially. "Personally I'm rooting for you guys and Tazuna-san just to let you know. I don't like what's happening here just as much as the next guy. I'd be on that bridge helping as much as I could if my body would allow it. The back you know."

Naruto offered a chuckle at the comment before bowing his head, "We plan to succeed and get this country back on its feet one way or another. Which reminds me. I need to get these two someplace to uh…procure information concerning Gato."

Ibuko stared at Naruto with a hard gaze before giving a nod of his own. "Whatever you must do then to succeed. The life of a shinobi must indeed be hard. I can only imagine what you have done in your very short life."

Naruto stiffened quite noticeably. Recovering quickly, he created two clones to carry the two thugs before turning his back to Ibuko.

Making to leave, Naruto took a few steps before stopping, his face not even turned in Ibuko's direction as he spoke. "I've done many things in my life, Tsara-san. Things that could be considered both good and bad, but most of what I've done has been to grow and make sure my sister is safe in this cruel and unforgiving world. Many would argue the world is full of nothing but love and happiness. Where no one can possibly do wrong. However, for those that have seen both the light and dark sides of the world as I have, I cannot agree with these people. A shinobi works in the shadows from start to finish. We take and accept the burdens that most would never ever want to have and some of these burdens we carry for the entirety of our lives. It is all for the sake of balance, not peace. I constantly wonder if there ever was or will be peace and if so, where I can find it. Were we truly ever meant to understand each other or is life simply about survival and happiness that is almost always short lived due to life almost certainly becoming unbalanced. I have yet to find answers for the questions I ask myself, but I will continue to endure in this cruel place we call life if only in the hope of achieving and creating a place where those I find precious can live peacefully without having to worry about anything."

Finishing his small speech, Naruto left the old man then and there, his two clones carrying the bodies of the two thugs quickly following right behind him.

Ibuko watched the young man leave, hope swelling in his old frame for the first time since Gato's arrival. If what he understood from Naruto's words were true, then there was really nothing for old Ibuko to worry about. As Naruto had said, he would place the burden upon his shoulders; the burden of ridding this country of Gato by any means necessary.

"What an amazing and self-sacrificing young man you are, Naruto-san," he said before turning and disappearing back into his tiny shop.

XxX

Naruto escorted his two victims for in actuality, they were truly that, out of the village. Ever since the beginning of his career as a shinobi, never once had he enjoyed the particular art of torture coupled with interrogation. Unlike Anko and Ibiki who both reveled in either bodily or mentally attacking their prisoners for information respectively, Naruto was not like them. While he saw the bad in the world, he also saw the good and the act of torturing someone was just vile to him. To bring about the pain and misery of another, in his opinion, made him no different than the goons he was about to wrestle information out of. While necessary to bring about the downfall of Gato, Naruto was not going to enjoy one moment of his coming actions and his mouth began to secrete itself with an ill-tasting vileness associated with doing something distasteful.

Walking along a small, winding dirt path and putting a fair amount of distance between himself and the fishing town, Naruto prepared himself, knowing that the more information he got out of the two, the better his sister's and team's chances were at surviving in the current situation would be. While he could have sent for aid from Konoha, he had no messenger hawks to speed the process up enough to matter. Any clones he might send back home would disappear long before reaching the destination due to not having enough chakra to sustain itself. Even if he could manage to get a message back to the village, there was absolutely no possible way for any form of reinforcements to reach their position in time. No, Naruto needed information and he needed it now.

Naruto's clones dropped their cargo off, each binding their respective loads tightly up against a tree with rope before poofing out of existence. Reaching into a pocket, Naruto drew out a specific scroll that was meant for occasions like this; the items within a birthday gift from Anko herself. While he didn't expect the two to put up much resistance, you never really could tell with some people. Releasing the items from the scroll with a small infusion of his chakra, Naruto stared down at an assortment of tools at his disposal, taking in the wickedly edged weapons, the many types of poisons, the differently sized hammers, and so much more.

Removing four vials of sleeping salts from a small compartment, two for each man, Naruto stared down at the duo, once again preparing himself for what he must do. Breaking the vials, he bent down before wafting one vial after another just beneath the noses of the two, the ammonia gas entering their systems causing the muscles controlling their breathing to tighten, instantly waking both up from their unconscious stupors.

The two snapped their heads up, blinking continuously as they took in their present situation; something they did not take kindly to once they realized they were tied up with Naruto standing over them.

"What the hell is this?! Let us go!" yelled Tsuchi, his body struggling to get out of the tight embrace his ropes were currently giving him.

"Sadly that won't be happening any time soon I'm afraid," Naruto responded, his eyes wandering and going over the wide selection of implements of torture he could use.

"Why not?! We did what you said and apologized," came Sataro's slightly hysterical voice.

"Well that's the thing. You wouldn't have done that if I hadn't stepped in or hadn't beaten both your pitiful asses," Naruto retorted coolly, drawing a dagger-like weapon, both sides of the blade serrated from tip to hilt.

Both gulped audibly at that, knowing it was the truth, but neither spoke up at the accusation due to not wanting to perjure themselves in the process.

Naruto stood up after selecting his first weapon of choice, turning to stare without a single shred of remorse down at his two victims. Gone was the normally jovial, constantly smiling Naruto. In his place now was an emotionless man, his face set and grim, his blue eyes dark and frozen over in his seriousness.

"Now then. I need information on Gato. Since you both work for him I assume one or both of you know something. I will say this though before I start. The man that gives me the most information will walk away from here alive. The other will be killed. Simple as that. Now, who wants to start talking?"

Sataro and Tsuchi turned their heads to stare at the other, both sets of eyes showing fear and a slight desperation. However, while spineless in most cases, put in a life or death situation like this and both having grown up together, their faces became more resolute. Sataro might have tried to run away before, but he had doubted Naruto would actually kill Tsuchi and had wanted to get help then. He guessed this time though things were different. Sataro sensed that Naruto would not hesitate now and that fact scared the man shitless. Yet even with that thought running through his head, he would not betray the trust he had forged over countless years with his friend for something even like this. No, he would take whatever Naruto had to give and endure it all no matter what.

"I see…" came Naruto's voice,"I didn't really want to do this, but you two leave me no choice."

Needing to warm up a bit, Naruto crouched besides Tsuchi's body. Grabbing at the man's left arm, he gripped it with a tight hold, the hold giving the thug a small amount of discomfiture. Waiting a few seconds to make sure the blood in the chosen arm had built up somewhat, Naruto placed one of the serrated edges against the underside of Tsuchi's forearm. Moving, Naruto then drew it across the surface of his skin, drawing a long, deep gash ever so slowly and watching as the skin split apart bit by painful and agonizing bit beneath the sharp blade.

Tsuchi gritted his teeth, refusing to yell out lest he appear weak and give Naruto the satisfaction of seeing the pain he was going through. Watching as the cut lengthened, he saw his blood gush forth from the wound, the heavy liquid dribbling down his arm as more and more spilled out from the cut Naruto had inflicted.

Naruto stopped after he had reached the five-inch mark, staring at Tsuchi's grimacing face and offering a tight squeeze around the forearm that caused the man to yelp out from the sharp jab he felt ricochet up his arm. "So…where can I find Gato?"

"Screw you, bastard!" shouted a pained Tsuchi, unable to stop the excessive bleeding on his arm and already feeling slightly woozy from the blood loss.

"Wrong answer," Naruto said sharply before slicing two equally long and gaping cuts just above the first wound. After adding the two extra incisions, Naruto then pulled out a small pouch he had placed in his pocket moments prior. Drawing on the strings, he opened the bag before turning it over, sprinkling some of the contents over the three cuts, the salt pouring forth covering the wounds and causing Tsuchi to release a small, agonized yelp.

For Tsuchi, the sensations he was receiving from his arm were excruciating. The arm both stung and throbbed, the ions introduced into his system from the salt causing an imbalance of positive and negative charges within his arm, thus resulting in a severe response of action potential to occur, his arm sending out the signal of pain through his nervous system. To Tsuchi, it just hurt badly. Plain and simple.

"Hey you fucker! Hurt me not him!" Sataro bellowed out. It didn't sit well on the man to see his friend and partner abused in such a way if he could help it.

"Oh? Well if you insist," Naruto said, drawing away from Tsuchi and instead focusing his gaze on Sataro now. Reaching towards his roll full of tools, Naruto drew out a pair of pliers from the bag. Letting Sataro get a good look at his choice and inwardly disgusted with himself when he saw the flash of fear in the man's eyes, Naruto guided the pliers in the direction of Sataro's right hand while singing.

"Eeny, meeny, miney, mo, catch a bastard by his toe. If he hollers, choose that finger. And if he resists that pain will linger." Here Naruto stopped his rhyme, the plier's tips resting on Sataro's right index finger. Immediately clamping down on the finger nail, he wiggled the pliers in his hand before yanking the nail slowly out of the base of the finger, literally tearing the nail from the muscle connecting it to the finger bit by bit.

Sataro couldn't hold back the scream that followed the beginning of his torture, his head snapping back against the side of the tree pressing into his back and howling out his distress. This was way more pain than he had initially envisioned he would feel and it hurt like hell!

Successfully ripping the nail off, Naruto then clamped his tool on the next appendage over, the middle finger. There he repeated the process once again, doubling Sataro's pain. "So you going to tell me what I want to know now or not?" Naruto nonchalantly questioned, throwing the nail away into the bushes.

"F-Fuck you…" Sataro managed to get out through tightly clenched teeth, his hand throbbing.

Naruto sighed at that before aimlessly shrugging, "Your choice," and reached for four simple kunai. Suddenly, without any warning, he swiftly drove the tips of each into one of Sataro's limbs, two in the middle of his thighs and the other two buried to the hilts in both forearms. Blood erupted everywhere from each thrust, splattering out in all directions, covering both Naruto and Tsuchi who watched on in horror at the cruelty of their captor; Sataro's screams piercing and reverberating through his head as the man cried out in pain.

Naruto watched on in distaste, watching as Sataro writhed and yelled out in pain; a pain that the blonde himself had inflicted. He had thought this would be easier, completely underestimating the pair in front of him. He hadn't wanted to do this, but circumstances demanded it. This would surely get at least one of them to talk. Grabbing up a syringe and a specific vial filled with a clear liquid, he uncorked the container before carefully drawing the liquid up into the syringe. Placing the vial back, he then turned to his two victims, letting out a small stream of what he had placed within his tool. Sataro seemed to be the more resilient of the two in Naruto's opinion so he would focus the next treatment on Tsuchi and see where that got him.

"Either of you know what this is?" asked Naruto, casually indicating the filled syringe he was holding with a small shake of the wrist. Receiving no answer, he went on to explain. "This is a toxin designed and created by Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Department. It's a toxin that overloads the pain receptors within a human's body in a way that amplifies any pain received tenfold. A simple paper cut feels like a hot blade cutting you, a poke feels like you're being stabbed, and so on. It's really quite effective. The only question is…who am I going to inject?" his eyes flicking between the two for any type of reaction.

Both gazed fearfully at Naruto's hand and both were thinking along the same lines. If it could do all that, how long could they really last?

"No volunteers? Such a shame. Seems I get to choose then," Naruto said before moving over to crouch beside Tsuchi who in response shook violently, trying desperately to get away and out of his bindings, his teeth barred as he used as much force as he could muster against the ropes.

"No no no! Get away from me!" he cried out, attempting to get as far away from his torturer as he possibly could.

Naruto saw the fear, the fright, the sheer terror on Tsuchi's face, but it was he and Satori, not Naruto, that had let the situation escalate to this. No matter how much he hated doing this, he really had no choice in the matter.

Idly tapping the tip of the syringe against Tsuchi's arm, Naruto began to speak, "You know. This doesn't have to happen. You could just tell me what I want to know and avoid the sheer agony that I've seen this toxin give to people. Can you imagine just how much pain you'll feel? It's like…a lifetime of continuously built up pain that you'll feel for just a few minutes. I've witnessed some people even die so excruciating it felt. I wonder…will you be one of those people? Will you die from all the pain? I guess there's only one way to find out huh?" How Naruto hated appearing like Anko. This wasn't who he was at all, but he had to give the persona of one whom enjoys treating his prisoners as play things.

Hearing no response besides whimpers, Naruto snapped his free hand out, his fingers locking about Tsuchi's neck just below his chin. Forcing the man's head up, he exposed the various veins and blood vessels traveling up and down through the particular area. Targeting a main vessel known as the carotid artery just below the jawline, Naruto lined up the syringe and readied himself.

"Last chance…." he said quietly, putting pressure on the blood vessel without puncturing skin.

None of the two spoke up and Naruto sighed. "Very well. Get ready for the pain!" he exclaimed before drawing his hand back and acting to jab the tip of the syringe into Tsuchi's neck.

"Wait!" came a sudden voice from the side, something Naruto was not at all surprised to hear. Halting his strike, the metal tip just millimeters from Tsuchi's neck, Naruto turned his head to place his attention on Sataro.

"Yes?" Naruto drawled out, refusing to let his hand drift a single breathe away, holding it in place while he waited for Sataro to speak.

"I…I'll tell you everything you want to know…just…don't hurt Tsuchi," Sataro said, looking down at the ground. Even if Tsuchi died from him speaking up, at least it would hopefully be quick and painless versus a cruel and pain wracked ending he would have experienced otherwise.

Naruto drew himself away from Tsuchi, standing to his full height over the two, his brow raised in question. "Oh you will? Well that's great. Tell me where I can find Gato."

"He's about 8 miles to the east. He built a giant mansion out there," Sataro answered meekly.

"And how many guards would you say he has?"

"Over a hundred normal guards, but he's hired a few ninja and samurai to guard him."

Naruto's brows furrowed at the news, knowing this mission had just grown exponentially more dangerous for him and his team. "These ninja…are they missing-nin by any chance?"

Sataro nodded his head furiously. "Yes they are. Two of them are Zabuza and his partner. I don't know what happened to the other two that were with them, but they haven't come back."

Naruto pondered over that. He would need to rethink his strategy a little now. Besides that, he needed to find out who these enemy shinobi were first. Rummaging through one of his back pouches, he drew out a small black book with various pieces of paper marking specific pages.

"If I was to show you a list of photos, would you be able to tell me which are the ninja Gato hired?" he asked, opening to the first page of the Bingo Book he always carried.

Receiving a nod in confirmation, Naruto approached Sataro and told him to signal when he recognized someone. The process went on for a few minutes simply due to the sheer number of bounties, Sataro informing Naruto when he saw one of those hired by Gato to which Naruto marked down accordingly. Once the process was completed Naruto placed the book back in his pouch before quickly analyzing the information he now had.

There were four other ninja besides Zabuza and his partner that Naruto and his team now had to deal with and the identities of the extra shinobi was nothing to laugh about. Gato had hired some seriously strong shinobi to work for him.

Yagusaki Haori, the Black Hand of Iwa, was an A-rank missing-nin who held the kekkai genkai of steel release. He was considered a ruthless fighter who killed his victims by either ripping them limb from limb or literally beating them to death with his metal enhanced strength.

Kouki Guri, the Speed Demon, was classified as an A-rank missing-nin who used his clan's Swift Release to use the advantage of speed to wipe out his enemies. Prior to running away from Kumo, he had wiped out two entire squads of shinobi out of spite for their captains. Naruto had heard of the man, but had never had the pleasure of meeting him in battle to see who was indeed faster. He supposed he would get his chance soon enough.

Watasho Joku and Watasho Rista were twin B-rank ninjas that used their skills to compliment the other in order to deck out powerful attacks and defense. They had no nickname, but from their history they would be difficult to counter unless one could separate them.

Naruto mulled over the four, unconsciously pairing up the missing-nin with his own genin. While he didn't desire for the confrontation between the group and his team to actually occur, a team leader must always be prepared for all possible outcomes including the worst case scenario whether he liked it or not. It was better to be prepared for anything than not.

It was a cough that brought Naruto out of reflection. Blinking and shifting his gaze towards his two bound victims, he resettled his thoughts on the current situation at hand. What was he going to do with these two? Knowing that Gato could never figure out his men had given up information to the enemy, Naruto then realized what he had to do, and he did not like the decision.

Pushing down his revulsion for having to do this, Naruto reached back into his pouch, once again withdrawing a kunai. Offering the two before him a grim expression, he approached them, kunai wielding hand cocked to the side and ready to strike.

Sataro and Tsuchi saw all this, saw the approaching form of Naruto with kunai in hand, and began to freak out. While it hurt to move and strain against their bindings, the instinctual reaction towards oncoming death fueled their actions and dulled the pain originating from their wounds.

"Please no! We told you what you wanted!" cried Sataro, terror stricken across his face as he continued to struggle.

"It's nothing personal really. Can't have Gato knowing about this little chat," Naruto replied, stopping before Tsuchi.

"We'll leave! We'll go far away! We won't tell Gato we promise!" Tsuchi exclaimed quite desperately.

"I can't risk you telling him with my sister and team and all being here," came Naruto's voice before he snapped his wrist forward, the tip of his kunai slicing across Tsuchi's throat. A thin but well placed crimson line began to stretch across Tsuchi's neck, blood spurting forth from the cut almost immediately causing the man to gurgle as his airway rapidly filled up with his own blood. It didn't take long for Tsuchi to die, his eyelids fluttering, his eyes dimming, and then finally his head slumped forward, his body going limp in death.

Sataro watched it all with wide eyes, his mouth slightly open as he witnessed the death of his life long friend and partner. They had always been at the other's side since the beginning and now Tsuchi was gone. Gone at the hands of this blonde man they had met just a short time ago. Sataro's mind couldn't handle it and snapping his head back to face Naruto, he began to angrily shout at the man.

"You fucker! You piece of shit! I'll kill you! I'll fucking ki-" and his words were stopped as a kunai buried itself in his wind pipe. He didn't seem to realize at first, his lips forming the words he now could not give voice to. His eyes, however, stared straight ahead, unfocused with the icy glaze of death creeping across them before he simply slumped forward, his body limp.

Naruto gazed upon the two formerly very much alive men, his lips set in a scowl. He never enjoyed killing, no sane man would, and a multitude of varying emotions flickered through him. He felt angry with himself for having to kill these men. He felt sad that they had to die. He felt relieved by the fact that his sister and team were a little bit safer. He felt thankful he had some information to work with now.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he crouched down beside each body, cutting them from their bindings. Creating two clones, he then ordered them to carry the bodies to the nearest river and dump them with rocks tied to them so that their bodies wouldn't be seen floating on the water's surface. Watching until his clones had disappeared into the fringes beyond the small clearing he had chosen for his interrogation, Naruto then cleaned his tools off before packing them away in their respective scroll. Not even looking back at the two trees standing stoically side by side, splatters of red blood beginning to dry on the bark and the ground about them, Naruto left with the information he had forcefully taken from two men whose names he didn't even know, their lives mere tick marks added to Naruto's ever growing kill count.

XxX

It didn't take long for Naruto to find Gato's base of operation within the country. After traveling for half an hour due east, Naruto easily spotted the enormous mansion standing out from the surrounding area; the trees around the building barely reaching a height to match half the height of the immensity. For Naruto, the sheer size of the mansion proved to him that Gato was compensating for something, enjoyed appearing above others, or both.

Watching from a high hanging limb a fair distance away, Naruto did what every shinobi should do when entering a new area with the possibility of attacking or being attacked. He watched.

Naruto spent over an hour watching the mansion, mentally counting up the large number of thugs he saw wandering the wall ramparts, climbing up flights of stairs, or aimlessly walking around. With his calculations, the group numbered near one hundred just as he had been informed. They would be easy to handle enough so Naruto refocused his efforts on trying to spot any of the four ninja that had apparently been hired by Gato.

After another twenty minutes and spotting no one that resembled any of the four, Naruto then wondered if maybe they were off somewhere else. With that possible theory in mind, the blonde moved closer towards the mansion, pressing his chakra levels down to almost nothing so as not to give anything for the enemy to possibly sense while he approached his target.

Darting from tree to tree, he drew closer, occasionally stopping his progress to examine his surroundings for any enemies before moving onto to his next hiding location. When at last Naruto had reached the shadowy edges of the wall surrounding the mansion, he immediately tied ninja line to a kunai. Whirling it quickly, he flicked his wrists up, the kunai shooting straight up before curving over and around one of the stone columns and wrapping about itself. Giving the line a quick tug, Naruto tightened its hold before darting vertically up the side of the wall, his feet beating strongly against the hard stone as he ran up the side. Reaching the top, he kept to the shadows, moving only when he had made sure the guards were not looking.

It didn't take Naruto long to reach one of first floor windows belonging to the compound. Crouching beneath his ticket into the mansion, Naruto unfastened the long cloak he had hooked to himself. Muttering a quiet, "Kakuremino no Jutsu (Cloak of Invisiblity Technique)," he applied the bare minimum of chakra needed to activate the E-rank technique before he flung the cloak over his head, the fabric falling to his feet. Knowing that now there was little chance for the hired thugs to spot him, Naruto used the tip of a kunai to work the window's latch, easily managing to unlock it before leaping inside the mansion.

Landing on his feet and crouching low, Naruto moved through the decorated hallways of the large estate, flicking from one passageway to the next. It might have been easier to use his variation of the Hiraishin, but because of the chakra pulse that followed each use, he couldn't risk using the technique lest any enemy shinobi that might be in the mansion detect it and come to investigate. Using the cloak of invisibility technique allowed him to not only blend into the environment around him, but the technique itself used virtually no chakra at all.

For the next ten minutes Naruto moved through the various halls and rooms within the mansion, finding nothing. It was only when he heard the loud shouting did he know he was on the right path.

A small, round man came bursting through the door just ahead of the concealed Naruto. In front of him, sprawled out on the floor with her hands covering her face, sat a young woman with the tell tale signs of a hard beating covering various areas that were visible on her barely clothed form. Naruto had to hold himself back when the tubby man nailed the woman in the face with a closed fit, sending her shooting back hard.

"How dare you ask to be let go! I've clothed you, fed you, and given what a whore like you obviously wants. What more can you possibly think you need?!" yelled the man, his face suffused with anger.

"Please Gato-sama. I just want to go home. My little boy needs his mother," came the rather demurred answer, the woman holding a hand to her cheek to rub the inflicted area.

"Oh just let me kill her," came a deep, rumbling base voice from behind Gato. Emerging from the shadows with his arms crossed, a big man appeared. His skin was tan, his hair black, and his face showing the excitement towards his suggestion.

"Now now Haori. What fun would that be? We should at least let her have a ten minute head start," came another, lighter but still male voice. From Haori's left came a tall, lithe figure in whom Naruto analyzed was the Speed Demon, Guri.

"I disagree. We should just kill her and-be done with it," two voices were heard and from Haori's other side appeared a man and a woman, both appearing exactly the sign except for the tell tale signs of their gender and hair style.

Gato looked from one to the next, pondering over their suggestions before shaking his head. "No. This tail is too great just to just kill. If one of you wants to go get her boy and bring me the husband's head, that would be splendid," Gato suggested, purposely avoiding any words that might be even remotely sound as if he was ordering the four.

The four seemed to think over that suggestion, but the answer came when Haori snorted out, "Too much work."

The other three bobbed their heads in agreement and Gato sighed in resignation for the loss of his plan. "Fine, but you guys better not be this lazy come a few days. I'm not paying you to just sit around here all day and do nothing. You guys better remember the plan we discussed.

Haori growled, but it was Guri that answered, "Yeah yeah we remember. Zabuza goes and kills those little Konoha ninja and we wait until we think Zabuza can't handle them or he's killed the Konoha scum off. Either way, Zabuza's going to die and it's about damn time."

"So they're going to double-cross Zabuza. Interesting…' Naruto observed.

"I expect you guys to do what I hired for you. I heard from Zabuza that one of the ninja Konoha sent is known something as The Yellow Gate…err or was it the Yellow Trait?"

That comment gained instant attention from the four missing ninja who snapped their heads around to stare at Gato.

"Are you telling me that the Yellow Wraith of Konoha is with this group of ninja?" came Guri's excited question, his eyes glinting with eagerness.

"According to Zabuza who lost to him yes, that weakling."

Haori began to bellow out in amusement, his deep laugh echoing through the mansion. "Oh this is just great! This job just got a whole lot better! Imagine the Yellow Wraith being here. Perfect! I'm definitely getting a piece of him."

"Not if I do first. I want to see how fast he really is," Guri snapped out and he and Haori stared long and hard at one another, their eyes showing they would not easily give up their newest target.

It was Haori that finally relented from the deadlock state saying, "Fine. Whoever gets to him first gets to have him. I just better be able to kill something."

Gato watched on with questioning eyes, but thinking the situation well in hand nodded his head. "Good. You guys do that, and you better not fail me.

It wasn't even a split second after the comment was made that Gato found a kunai pressed against his throat, the light male voice of Guri being heard just from behind. "Now now Gato. We don't like our abilities being put into question. Of course we'll kill the Yellow Wraith. That goes without saying. Your job, however, is to sign our checks every day and you better not fail at that or it's the end of you. Got it?"

Gato gulped, keenly feeling the metal pressing into his throat, but having dealt with these types of people all his life he kept his composure and nodded.

"Good…" Guri drawled out before he removed the kunai from Gato's throat and walked back over to his fellow ninja.

Gato rubbed at his throat experimentally, checking for any injuries. When he found none he scowled in Guri's direction before turning his head to leer down at the woman still sprawled out on the floor near him, an inner excitement spreading through him.

"Now then. Time for a little early celebrating. I think you'll do very nicely…" He then grabbed at the quiet woman, not even lifting her up to her feet before literally dragged her down the hall; the female kicking the entire way with tears rolling from her eyes as she struggled against the tight hold.

The four ninja stared after the way Gato had left, but all shrugged before moving off down the same hallway. Their job was to guard and guard they would whether they enjoyed it or not.

Naruto moved into the middle of the now vacant hallway, his head turned towards the corridor that Gato had disappeared down, his eyes showing the fury he refused to let loose at the moment. He desperately wished to go after the pair, not wishing the woman to experience what he almost knew was going to happen, but knew that the mission at hand depended on him remaining incognito. Plus the fact that he to seemed to be watched twenty-four seven by his hired guard gave little room to actually get to the man before being stopped and attacked by either one of those four ninja. While he could easily fend off any attacker, Naruto didn't want a fight right now. In addition, the plan he had come up with to truly give back to Wave Country would die aborning if Gato were actually dead before he could start and finish what he had come up with. Growling away his frustration at having to leave the woman in Gato's despicable hands, Naruto moved into the office that he could only assume belonged to Gato.

Closing the door quietly behind him Naruto peered about the room, eyes flicking here and there as he took note of the many cameras secretly recording. Still hidden beneath his cloak, Naruto moved from one camera to the next, yanking out the wires from the back of each.

Removing the cloak, Naruto moved to the desk at the far end of the room. Opening the drawers, he withdrew the many folders within and flipping the first open, Naruto snorted after reading over the contents.

'Completely legitimate and legal. How like Gato to put these out in the open' Naruto thought before reading over the rest of the folders. Seeing all transactions were legal, Naruto placed the folders back in their respective drawers before looking around; searching for any place that might contain documents that Gato didn't want falling into the wrong hands.

Seeing no evident signs of a hidey-hole of any sort, Naruto began to wander, his hands tracing across any object that might be suspect of hiding a secret button. It was when Naruto pulled on the bust of Gato's stone head that an audible 'click' was heard followed by the sliding of a panel. Turning, Naruto now saw a hole in the wall behind Gato's desk. Snorting once again, this time at how egotistical and self-centered Gato appeared to, Naruto moved towards the hole where he found a small, electronic safe embedded into the wall.

Now knowing there were in fact people who might be able to sense any sort of chakra discharge, Naruto pulled the safe out and placed it on Gato's desk. He knew several ways to open a safe like this and decided to try the easiest of the set techniques. Banging on the top left corner of the safe whilst turning the lock at the same moment, Naruto grinned in success when the door gave and opened without resistance. Not wasting any time, Naruto pulled out the many files crammed into the small space the safe allowed.

Looking through the first folder, Naruto's anger and disgust spiked from what he was reading. Well documented profiles of women ranging from fourteen all the way to forty-five filled the folder, each profile marked with a specific price and the location for where the woman was to be sent to. Controlling his ever mounting anger towards Gato, Naruto read through the rest of the files, each containing information illustrating Gato's illegal transactions whether they be related to his slave trafficking, vast network of drug dealing, or his trade agreements concerning weapons and banned contraband.

Naruto had all the evidence here and it was bitter sweet for the blonde. For one thing he had all he needed to bring Gato to justice, however no amount of jail time could serve as just punishment for the vile acts and atrocities Gato had committed. No, Naruto would deal with this personally. He would personally put everything in order first starting with Gato's death.

Placing all the evidence in an empty storage scroll, Naruto cleaned up any proof that might suggest his intrusion. Satisfied with his work after a few moments of examination, Naruto hesitated when he was about to leave. Moving back over to the desk, he searched the drawers until he found Gato's checkbook. Grinning wickedly at the prospect of literally bleeding Gato dry of all his wealth, Naruto placed the checkbook in his pocket before flashing out of the room.

XxX

It was evening when Naruto finally returned to Tazuna's household. His team had returned from their training dead tired and all three lay sprawled out in some fashion in the living area. Taking in their current state, Naruto could only smile down in fondness for his young team, all striving to better themselves.

Sitting down at the kitchen table and thanking Tsunami when she was kind enough to bring him a bowl of hot stew, Naruto relaxed for the first time that day; now able to think over what he had learned. The prospect of having so many dangerous foes made Naruto scrunch his brows together, his mind going through various scenarios that hopefully would end with his team coming out of this mission alive and whole.

These ninja weren't some of the low classed minions that Gato always kept at hand. These were the real deal. On his own Naruto could have taken them on, but it would have taken time in doing so; time which Naruto would not have with current circumstances. Now he had a team to worry about; an inexperienced team comprised of young genin that held very little battle experience and in whom were liabilities that had the potential to be captured mid-battle. If push came to shove and Naruto was forced into a situation of surrendering for the lives of his team, he would without question give up. There lied the problem.

'Now if only I could get Zabuza on our side…' Naruto considered for now he had valuable information that concerned the man. The question was would Zabuza believe him?

Naruto was startled from his reverie when the voice of young Inari pierced through the relatively quiet room.

"Why do you all try so hard? You're all just going to die. Gato will kill you."

Team 7 opened their eyes at that, all turning their heads to face the young boy whose fists were tightly clenched at his sides in fury. It was Shino with his usual, cool stare that spoke up in response.

"Why do you say such thing, Inari-san? You have no knowledge of our capabilities, our strength, or our experiences in battle. It is quite illogical to utter such comments without the evidence to back up such claims."

Inari huffed at that, slamming his fists down onto the table, "You have no clue who you're up against. Gato's way too powerful. He can't be beat!"

Sasuke stared straight at Inari before snorting, stretching his arms above his head. "If you're giving up on life that's fine by me, but stop annoying those of us who still want to do our jobs and live."

Inari grew angrier at that comment, rising to his feet before pointing viciously at Sasuke, "He's going to kill you! You have no idea! You don't even know!"

Shino cleared his throat to stop any rude rebuttal from Sasuke, addressing Inari once more, "Your viewpoint on our current situation is highly illogical. We have yet to formulate a plan to combat Gato so how would you know how or if we will die? We are trained from a very young age in Konoha and the concept of death is not lost on us shinobi. We are taught death is inevitable and we will all go through the process. However, even though we are aware death will eventually find us, we do not accept death no matter how near it might be. Shinobi struggle against death all the time. Death is a possibility we face each time we go on a mission. Yet we do not accept death. Only the weak do such and we are not allowed to be weak.

Rina decided here was a good time to put in her two cents. "Shino is right. We can't give up now. If we do your grandfather's life is over. Your mother's life is over. We can't let that happen no matter how much fear we might have. Plus it's not only us that are fighting Gato either. Both Tsunami and Tazuna-san and a lot of the villagers are risking their lives by going against Gato. I know you're scared, a lot of us are, but life is always scary. Do you see your grandfather stopping because he's scared? Of course not. The only thing we can do is fight against the roadblocks we come upon in life to get to the next step. Gato is that roadblock here and we have to beat him to stop what's going in this country. Can you understand, Inari-san?"

Inari stared for a long moment at Rina before he simply bolted up the stairs to his room. Both Tsunami and Tazuna immediately apologized for Inari's behavior. They then told the sad tale of Inari's adopted father who had been executed for rebelling against Gato when no one would. The story seemed to affect all listening to varying degrees, but all redid their vows to stop Gato's terrible reign on Wave Country and return the happiness that had forcefully been stripped away.

Thinking it time for bed, Naruto ordered his team to their room after informing them he would have more time the next day to focus on their training. After they had left, Naruto then bid Tsunami and Tazuna a good night before excusing himself as well, knowing the coming days would be hard on all of them.


	7. Waves IV: Surprise Encounter

**Yes I know I wrote out Rina-clone versus just Naruto clone wise. I did this on purpose and I refuse to change it. Just wanted to let you guys know it wasn't an error.**

 **As well I was just asked again to give the amount of time that has passed in between time skips and I'm not bothered or angered by these requests. I was just under the assumption that people would know how much time has elapsed since Rina has basically traded spots with canon Naruto with birth day and what not. I'll make sure to further specify the amount of the time in each story after today. Thanks a bunch guys. Oh and at present Naruto is 19 being 6.5 years old when his sister was born.**

 **Just to make you all aware next chapter is the last of the arc and shall hopefully feature a lot of fighting, some heart breaking moments for the characters, and some pissed off ninja. Just fwi.**

I do not own Naruto and never will I.

Chapter Seven:

Rina's eyes snapped open, her mind surprisingly attentive despite the heavy drowsiness that surrounded her from having just woken up. Shifting her gaze to the window, she noticed that the sun had yet to appear over the horizon indicating the earliness of the day. Groaning she rolled over in her cot, pillowing her head in her hands and closed her eyes once more; inwardly pleading to return to the pleasing dreams she had been living before she had for some odd reason awoken at such a random hour of the morning. The dreams had been wonderful. She had been in a group huddle with her parents and older brother all smiling and laughing, together at last after so many years. It had been so wonderful and she craved to return.

She lay there for many minutes, willing her body to sleep yet receiving no hint of sinking into the depths that sleep mustered up. When at last she realized she would be getting no further sleep for the time being she mentally cursed, sitting up and looking about the room set aside for them courtesy of the kind Tsunami. Her teammates still slept on their own respective cots, neither making a peep and would appear dead to Rina except for the fact that every few seconds their chests would rise and then fall moments later. Sighing to herself, Rina rose quietly, carefully placing on her sandals. From there she ever so slowly crept out of the room, trying to make as little noise as possible while purposely avoiding the parts of the floor that gave groans when pressure was applied.

Once out of her room Rina quietly made her way down the stairs, slipping into the kitchen. Grabbing up a few rolls of bread that were leftovers from the previous night's stew, she munched on them for a while to satisfy her lightly grumbling stomach. Her mind drifted through a myriad of varying thoughts as she sat there, but eventually settled on the idea of getting a jumpstart to the day.

Stuffing the last bit of bread into her mouth she exited the house, beginning to just walk, taking in the noises of the night and staring up at the full moon high up in the sky. She carried on like this for many minutes and when a star shot suddenly across the sky she closed her eyes, clasping her hands together as she made a silent wish. What she wished for she knew would never actually come to pass, but it didn't hurt to try.

Opening her eyes and with her mind fixed on the mental image of her family being reunited somehow with smiles on their faces, Rina suddenly and without warning began to run, her legs protesting at first from the hard workout she had received the day before, but in turn the girl just forced them to work, running strongly through the quiet forest. Running for half an hour, ducking around trees that came in her way, and startling many nocturnal creatures that hurriedly scurried out of her path Rina ran, feeling alive and free as she did so.

Rina didn't stop until she had reached an open clearing, the trees forming an almost perfect circle around the grassy area. Thinking this to be a good enough spot to start off her early morning workout, Rina then brought into existence a mass of shadow clones that surrounded her on all sides. Grinning to herself at the prospect of a good fight, Rina readied herself, cracking first her knuckles followed quickly by her neck before assuming a pose that represented the starting position of the Namikaze fighting style.

Five clones shot forward without any warning then, two coming jumping up to come at her from up high while the other three came in low and hard. Rina instantly reacted, flipping quickly backwards with her heels catching the jaws of the first two clones, erasing them from existence. Once righted on the balls of her feet she launched herself forward in a quick cartwheel, using the head of one clone to kick another clone in the throat. Gripping then her perch's hair hard, Rina heaved forward with impressive show of strength, her body lowering to the ground whilst bodily flinging the copy of herself at the other remaining clone; wiping out both in one swoop.

Not even breathing hard from her exertions Rina stood there, her mass of clones wearily eyeing her as they stood in a loose circle around her. It was with a silent signal that all began to charge at her as one and Rina, smiling grimly, spun about, her fists clipping multiple clones as they came at her. The redhead ducked low, twisted her body, avoiding most hits coming at her from all direction while at the same time moving with an offensive defense; her hands darting to nail a clone in the throat then quickly snapping it back to deal a hard elbow to the gut of another.

The process went on for a near two hours and when all the clones were destroyed, more would be created to continue on the fight. Rina fought like a mad beast out for blood through the entire training session, receiving a great many hits that were quickly returned tenfold with a low, guttural growl that was uncharacteristic of the girl. Her violet eyes snapped this way and that rapidly, attempting to keep aware of all the enemies about; this action not always saving her from blows courtesy of her clones who neither held back or gave up at their attempts to get at the flying, darting redhead.

If any older individual had witnessed the fight from the sidelines, they would have most certainly been reminiscent of the scene, comparing the girl to her own mother with the way she moved and fought. Rina's hair whipped out behind her as she darted into the middle of a group of ten clones, the girl gritting her teeth as she fought against the pain originating from the many cuts and bruises she had received whilst in battle. Pushing the pain down, trying to control her ragged breathing as best she could, Rina attacked her clones with a vigor born anew, destroying them one after another in quick succession. She had grown to fight like her older brother over the years, witnessing his many training regiments that were just brutal and awe inspiring to watch first hand. He had a habit of going into a zone whilst fighting; his attention and awareness centered solely on the fight at hand with his concentration near doubled. Naruto may not have noticed the change he went through in battle, but Rina certainly had. She had come to call this particular mode of concentration she associated with her brother and herself to some extent the Juggernaut Mode due to the fact that no matter the injuries sustained, no matter how tired he might feel, Naruto continued on until the end; a true force to be reckoned with in a battle.

In Rina's opinion, she had only been able to learn how use this mode to half its actual potential, but even if she had not fully mastered the unusual technique she could still put up one hell of a fight if she had a mind to. Such was the way she fought now; attacking her clones with a vengeance to pay them back for the wounds she had received. Her fists smashed into faces, her feet smashed into stomachs, and even her head got in a few good hits. Getting delivered a hard blow to her lips, Rina spat out the flood of blood that poured from her mouth, right into the eyes of one clone. Using its blindness to her advantage, she grabbed it up by the leg and bodily began whipping it around, knocking out an additional five clones.

It was nearing seven in the morning when Rina at last defeated the last group of clones she had created. Blood dripped from her fists, her knuckles bruised and skinned from hitting so many clones, she stood there quietly, her breathing coming out sharp and quick before inhaling deeply soon after. Suddenly her shaking knees gave out beneath her, her body slumping back as she fell onto her back into the bed of flowers beneath her. The training had been brutal, fast paced, and many hours long, but at last her body had finally given out.

There Rina lay, trying her best to fill her lungs up with some much needed oxygen. Her body felt heavy, her limbs and extremities refusing to budge an inch no matter how much she bid them otherwise. Not only had she fought for hours, but coupled with the amount of chakra she had expended in order to create so many clones for combat had made her feel a step above exhausted and bone tired.

It was inevitable that Rina's eyes eventually closed without her knowledge, her breathing becoming lighter as she slowly slipped into sleep, her body going limp after such a hard workout.

XxX

Rina awoke slowly from her slumber, her eyes flittering many times over to clear and focus her vision. Staring up at the blue sky above, watching as the clouds slowly meandered across their domain, she estimated it to be around nine meaning she had been asleep for around two hours at most. This thought then drifted to the probable scenario of her brother and team wondering where she might have wandered off to.

The redhead was about to rise when she heard the faintest crackle of leaves and the snap of a twig under feet. Barely moving, trying to expand her senses out further than normal, Rina moved her body just enough to allow her hand to slowly, inconspicuously slip down and back to the weapon's pouch she always carried. Looping her finger in the metal circle of a kunai she then leaped up, spinning around on the balls of her feet, her kunai wielding hand arcing up in front of her lest there be a possible projectile to deflect after her surprising movements.

Rina stopped halfway in the motion of attacking whoever might be approaching her when she heard the inhalation of a gasp as well as the sight of a young girl possibly around the same age as herself; the girl's arms raised in a defensive gesture in front of her face. Instantly realizing her fault Rina pulled her kunai back, an apologetic expression rising on her face as she stared at the startled teen girl before her.

"I'm so sorry miss. I thought you were someone else!" Rina started, placing the kunai back in its respective pouch.

The girl's body slowly relaxed, her arms dropping down from her face. She stared at Rina, analyzing the girl's honest expression before she gave a barely imperceptible nod of her head. "It is no problem. I guess you could say it was my fault really. I should not have snuck up on you like I did," responded the girl who crouched down, picking up the basket full of vegetation appearing to be herbs that she had dropped in her surprised alarm.

Still feeling guilty Rina sunk to her knees, scooping up the collected herbs that had fallen out. Placing them back in the basket, Rina then lightly bowed her head in another show of silent apology.

It was here that the girl really got a good look at Rina, taking in her appearance. Her clothing was torn in many places, her face smudged over with dirt that was mixed together with the blood that had dried from her busted lip. She seemed to be slightly supporting her left arm with her right as though it was hurt as well. In all, Rina looked like hell.

"It is all right," the girl finally said with a smile. "Although I am curious as to why you would believe someone approaching you would hold enough bad intent to warrant an attack like that though. My name is Haku by the way," she finished with a beautiful smile.

Rina grinned sheepishly while rubbing at the back of her head in embarrassment in perfect imitation of her brother. "You really can't be too careful nowadays can you? It's really a force of habit. Oh and my name is Uzumaki Namikaze Rina. Nice to meet you."

Haku seemed to stiffen at the introduction, but her body quickly relaxed once more when she noticed Rina's obvious look of curiosity. "Well it's nice to meet you Rina-san," and here she gained a perplexed look. "Might I inquire why you're out here all alone? As you said you can't be too careful and it's quite dangerous for a young girl like yourself to be out here in the wilderness with no one around."

"Oh I came out here to practice a bit and…" Rina said while pulling at her clothes, "I seem to have gone a little overboard."

"Well it does appear so. Why were you practicing?" came the next question.

Rina hesitated for a moment at this, knowing deception to be key in dealing with strangers, yet this girl seemed so nice, so friendly and because of that she would give her the benefit of the doubt. "I'm sort of a ninja and I was practicing to hone my skills up a bit. I woke up early and couldn't fall back to sleep so I decided to get some training in."

"Oh I see. Are you from Nami no Kuni then?"

Rina shook her head, "No I'm a ninja here on a mission from Konohagakure no Sato."

"Then I bet you're strong if you train like this every day," Haku responded good naturedly.

Rina released a small laugh at that, shaking her head once again. "I don't train like this every day no. Plus I'm not that strong, but I will be some day hopefully. My goal is to be the best kunoichi ever and eventually beat my brother for once in a fight."

Haku gave Rina an inquisitive look at this. "So you have something to fight for? Someone precious?"

Rina immediately inclined her head, her lips curving up into a warm, loving smile as her mind instantly brought up an image of her brother between her two parents. "Of course. My brother and my parents. My parents died the day I was born so it's just been my brother and me since then."

"Well now I know you'll definitely reach your goal. I believe when a person has something important that they want to protect, that's when they can become truly strong," Haku said with a radiating, almost perfect smile crossing her face. "You see I have a precious person myself, which is why I'm out here. My friend got hurt not too long ago and I just want to speed up his recovery."

"Well that's really nice. He should be glad he has a friend like you. Since I scared you and all I guess I should help you pick herbs for your friend. Just tell me which to pick, " Rina offered.

Hake gazed at Rina for a moment before moving over to a nearby patch. Indicating the type of herb to pick from there, both females worked in complete silence for the better part of ten minutes, neither speaking. With the two working so diligently they managed to fill the basket up the brink in no time at all, the sweet smelling herbs stacked as high as possible without the risk of them toppling out.

Seeing that the work was done Haku rose, brushing the dirt off her delicate hands on the pink kimono she wore. Taking her basket in hand Haku then bowed to Rina, "Thank you for the help. It would have taken much longer if you had not offered Rina-san."

Rina shook her head at that. "It was the least I could do and it was fun."

Haku chuckled lightly before she said, "Remember what I said. Those with people to protect are the ones that truly grow strong. With them there is no limit to how strong you can get." Here Haku turned, making to leave, but was stopped by Rina's voice.

"Hey! Do you think we could hang out some other time? This was nice and I don't talk to that many girls around my age."

Haku seemed to consider the question before she slowly nodded. "I cannot tomorrow or the next day for I am busy, but how about the day after? I am free then."

Rina beamed in happiness at hearing this and quickly responded. "That's fine. We can meet up here and hang out some more."

"Very well. I will see you in three days then Rina-san."

"See you Haku-chan."

Haku blinked, a bit put off by the new addition to her name, but then finally shook her head before leaving with her now filled basket.

Rina watched the girl go, her eyes following Haku's movements until she finally disappeared through the thick tree fringes. It was here that she then summoned a clone who proceeded after Haku, trailing the girl at a distance to not raise any possible suspicion.

'If Gato's men are out here I can't have them getting their filthy hands on her' Rina thought to herself before, pleased with herself, she turned back in the direction of Tazuna's house and began the long trek back.

XxX

Naruto stood with Tazuna and the rest of Team 7 when Rina came into view. Seeing his sister Naruto raised his hand in greeting, waiting for the girl to get closer before he began to speak.

"There you are. We were beginning to worry you got lost on the path of life."

Those around the blonde had no clue what Naruto meant by that statement, but Rina who knew Kakashi's reputation for tardiness quite well just rolled her eyes in response earning a chuckle from her brother.

"Guess you were working pretty hard huh?" Naruto then commented, taking in her ragged and disheveled appearance.

"I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep," came Rina's answer, trying to smooth out her torn and rippled clothing as best as she could in its current state.

Approaching her then, Naruto reached down, lightly scooping her chin up in his hand. Twisting her head this way and that, examining the cut lip and the injuries she had sustained he nodded thoughtfully. "Working very hard I see. Let me clean you up a bit." At this green chakra began to radiate around his hand, the blonde first focusing on the contusions and cuts in the vicinity of her face before moving on down her body. The process didn't take long and through it all Rina sighed in appreciation, her eyes closed as she felt her aches and pains washed away by the gentle feeling of her brother's chakra.

When Naruto had finished he cut off the flow of chakra to his hands and stepped back, looking over his work with an appreciative eye. "Now that you look a bit more like yourself rather than a human punching bag go in, wash up, and get changed. We're all watching Tazuna today. We leave in ten."

Rina's response was a small grumble for while she wasn't a girly girl in any sense, she did enjoy bathing and looking somewhat presentable. However, this was a mission and they did have a job to do so swallowing any ill comment she might have, Rina hurriedly disappeared into the house; passing by Inari who had come out to give his goodbyes to his grandfather.

Seeing the boy Naruto waved to the boy. "Hey Inari. Can you come with me for a second?"

Staring suspiciously at the blonde, but receiving a reassuring nod from his grandfather, Inari inclined his head slowly before following after the blonde as he made his way over to the dock set apart from the main house by a distance of one-hundred feet.

"Sorry about last night Inari. My team gets a little touchy about them being misjudged and underestimated because of their age," Naruto started, sitting down at the edge of the dock, his long legs dangling over.

Inari hmphed as he sat down beside Naruto, either not choosing to or not knowing how to respond to such a statement.

Naruto took note of this and a sigh escaped him as he leaned back onto his hands, staring off towards the horizon. Without even looking at Inaru he asked, "So it's been hard for you huh? Life with Gato around?"

The boy peered up at Naruto, his fists clenching tightly at his sides as he tried to control his anger. "Of course it has! Life has been terrible here. You ninja have it way better back at your big and rich villages."

A dry, almost humorless chuckle came from Naruto's direction after hearing that, earning a deeper scowl from Inari who thought it was directed towards him. "Man have you got it all wrong. Would you like to know a little bit about those on my team? I assure you it will peak your interest." Receiving a hesitant nod after a moment Naruto continued. "Well let's start with Sasuke, the one with the duck hair if you don't know. In one night his older brother wiped out nearly his entire clan in cold blood leaving only him and his mother surviving when everyone: woman, children, everyone else were slaughtered by someone he had looked up to his entire life. Over a hundred people now dead who were very much alive that very same day. Imagine how he must feel every time he walks through his district; seeing the blood splattered here and there where a clansmen was killed for no apparent reason. Imagine how tough it is for his mother putting up a strong, brave face for her son when all she wants to do is break down and weep for the loss of her friends and family who she had known her entire life. Imagine all that and then consider how Sasuke feels knowing his murderous brother is still out there somewhere, living when so many others died."

Inari simply listened, his eyes growing rounder with each passing moment, his mouth becoming dry as he too envisioned everyone in the village all dying in one night, his mother and grandfather included.

Naruto nodded sadly, still refraining from looking down at Inari. "Then there's my sister, the redhead on my team. She, like myself, lost both her parents to an evil presence the very day she was born. While I cannot go into full detail let's just say most people back in my village associate her with that night so many good, heroic people died; the very same night our own parents died. That night was horrendous for everyone. So many loved ones dead. And where do you think the people directed their anger, their sadness, their grief towards?"

Inari thought for a moment, the horror on his face further growing as the answer came to him. "Your sister…?"

Naruto's fists tightened, his jaw clenching as he inclined his head slowly. "That's right. My sister, who had absolutely no control over what happened that night and who was in their eyes the source of their pain and sorrow, was put up as a target for everyone.

He let Inari think over that for a time before he decided to continue on with the story. "The very next day after she was born and our parents had died some random drunk decided to yell and scream outside our house for a straight hour. I later found out he had lost a son that night and had so much anger built up within him that in his drunken state he went so far as to yell for the head of my one day old sister. He wasn't the only one to do so either. Men, women, children, and even the nurse set to watching over us wanted my sister dead at their feet. Imagine how I felt when only at the age of six so many people were crying out for the death of my new baby sister? It was terrible…"

He paused for a moment, gulping down his own personal feelings as the memories flooded his mind, forcing himself to stay in the present. When he had once again brought himself to a state sufficient enough to continue he then went on. "After a few years they calmed down a bit, but my sister would constantly walk around the village with those eyes, those angry and loathing eyes, following her every move, looking for a possible time to enact their revenge on her. Seeing this I was thankful enough to be there to stop most attacks with the help of our guards, but it's still bad even after twelve years."

Here Naruto's voice turned venomous and anyone looking at him straight would have seen the fury in his cold, blue eyes as he spoke. "It's just sick. Absolutely sick. No child should have to go through life being hated by almost everyone around them. To be harassed, made fun of, made into a pariah for everyone to direct their hate towards. I tried to help her as much as I could, but there's only so much one can really do in that situation. If given the chance most would kill her off without a second's hesitation. This world you see is truly rotten, but…" and Naruto raised a finger, "There are some good pieces as well. Pieces you must strive to find and cling onto with all your heart. My family, my friends, these are my pieces in life. Can you tell me yours Inari?"

"My mom. My grandpa. My village."

"Good. I think you understand then. So with all this in mind please take into consideration what I say and have said. Everyone has a story, some nice of course, but others not so much. Many carry burdens that they desperately wish they could shed, but cannot. Please do not jump to conclusions based on appearance alone. As you now know Sasuke and Rina have both had difficult lives and even then they have chosen to fight rather than hide or be cowards in light of everything they have experienced. If they can go through all that and still fight, I bet you Inari can as well. Am I right?"

Inari stared long and hard at the waves lapping at the dock. His face was void of any expression except a thoughtful repose that was only broken when he finally turned, his eyes trailing up to Naruto's face that had been watching the boy carefully. "I think I can…." He supplied quietly.

Naruto smiled softly before waggling his finger in the boy's face. "You either know or you don't. There's no in between in these type of matters. Inari. Do you know you can be brave for your mother, for your grandfather, for your village that you have specifically said are the good pieces you've found within the rottenness of this world? Can you do all this while even Gato rules over this village?"

Inari's jaw set at this, his eyes gaining an inner fire that as of yet Naruto had been unable to witness. Suddenly Inari stood up, his clenched fists shaking at his sides with so many emotions ripping through his small body. "I know I can!" he yelled out defiantly, yelled out vehemently, yelled out with a voice full of so much fire and strength that Naruto felt it keenly.

Grinning at the sight, Naruto too stood and placed his hand on the boy's head. "That's the spirit! Never let that spirit burn out and there's nothing you can't do!" Here Naruto looked back over his shoulder where he saw his team and Tazuna staring in their direction, appearing ready to be off. "All right then. Let's get back to the house. I do really need to watch Tazuna-san."

Giving the blonde a wide, toothy smile Inari rushed back in the direction of the house slowly followed by Naruto, the boy rocketing into the embrace of his startled grandfather and giving him a great, big hug. Once done with that he released the old man before racing into the house to find his mother and offer the same to her.

"What was that all about?" Tazuna questioned Naruto as the blonde once again joined up with them.

"Oh he and I just had a little chat is all," came Naruto's answer, not wanting to elaborate further.

"Must have been some talk, " Sasuke interjected earning a knowing smile from his sensei.

"Oh it was. Now…" and Naruto clapped his hands together, turning in the direction they would take to reach the bridge, "Enough of that. Let's be off!" Tazuna-san's got a bridge to finish!" With that the group headed off, Rina shaking her head at her older brother's unique behavior, no one knowing the conflict they would face in the very near future.

XxX

Naruto and Team 7 watched Tazuna and his small group of workers prepare for their long day of work. After all the supplies and preparations had been completed and laid out, Naruto once again summoned up one-hundred of his clones to aid the courageous men as before. The show of numbers slightly put off Sasuke and Shino, but did not faze Rina in the slightest. When at last the work had begun and Naruto had made sure there was no one with ill intent anywhere near the bride of construction site he pulled his team aside to begin that day's training.

"So did you guys get those moves down like I asked?"

All three nodded their heads vigorously in response and from there were asked to demonstrate their respective moves. After a show of several stone shuriken, a crack of a water whip, and a firey stream of flames was witnessed Naruto was left quite pleased with their progress thus far.

"Awesome work you guys!" Naruto congratulated earning satisfied smiles from his team, even one from Shino who gave the barest flicker of an emotion before it was covered with indifference once again.

"Did we do well enough to learn something new now?" came Rina's question, quite antsy for more stuff to learn.

Naruto assumed a thinking pose, gripping his chin in hand as he hummed softly to himself for a time, pretending to think simply to draw out the moment. "I guess you did hmm…guess this is the perfect place for it anyways. Oh and sorry about this Rina, but you've already learned this technique. You can help me demonstrate it though." At this Rina was a little grouchy, hearing that she wouldn't be learning anything new, but when her brother began proceeding to walk on top of the water she smiled and followed right after, hopping instead of walking onto the water.

Once the pair has assumed a position just a little ways off from the two boys watching Naruto from the shore, the blonde turned towards them as he began. "Now I know you're both smart enough to remember I fought Zabuza a few days ago while standing on water. I hope you made the connection between that and the already learned tree-walking exercise. Theey're virtually the same thing except for two main points."

Here Naruto lifted a foot glowing with the blue tinge of chakra massed about it, going on once they had seen this. "With the tree-walking exercise you expend a constant amount of chakra through the soles of your feet in order to stick to whatever surface you may be touching. The difference between then and now is that water is not solid, it's fluid and always moving just as your chakra must do in this case. If you did what you do for the tree exercise you'll just fall in. This brings me to the second difference. Because of the constant fluctuation this exercise is much more chakra taxing than its counterpart for you have to expend much more just to keep on top of the water let alone walking, running, or even fighting on it. At first it'll be tough for you guys to just stay on top without falling in, but use the technique enough and it'll feel like second nature to you and you'll eventually get to a level where you won't even have to think about it. Now let's give you a little demonstration…"

Turning towards his sister Naruto assumed a pose with his left hand raised to a level just below his jawline and his right hand drawn back against his side. "How about the Uzumaki style? Nothing too flashy now." Unlike the Namikaze style that relied on fast, precise movements, the taijutsu belonging to the Uzumaki clan focused primarily on slow, methodical moves. With their enormous chakra reserves, the Uzumaki had fashioned a style that relied on such a trait, enhancing both offense and defense with chakra making their fighting technique powerful and strong enough so that they were able to take an incalculable number of hits in a fight. This coupled with the fact that their endurance and high pain threshold kept them from staying down long in battle made them virtual powerhouses in up close and personal scenarios.

Assuming the same pose as her brother, Rina nodded, putting an expression of seriousness on her face, "I'll let you go first, Nii-san.

Both sibling stood there for a moment, analyzing the other for any gaps in their defense and finding none in either form. Thinking it was time to start this little match Naruto shot forward all at once, pushing off the surface of the water with chakra infused legs, his drawn fist punching forward.

Reacting to her oncoming brother, Rina drew her left hand up and to the side at just the right moment, her wrist knocking the thrown fist away, effectively blocking Naruto's first attack. Knowing her brother was not one to hold back even in a small demonstration such as this, Rina responded in turn, her fist coming up in an uppercut.

Not even showing a moment's hesitation, Naruto snapped his knee up, using it to block the blow since the girl was much shorter than himself. From there he began a series of strong, offensive strikes, making sure he kept the fight in his favor from the very start; a punch here, a kick there, or a knee jab at just the right moment.

The two sibling battled it out on top of the water, neither breaking a sweat or staring to breath heavily as they moved. Their bodies contorted to avoid potential blows when they couldn't block in time and so methodical were their movements, a common description of the Uzumaki style, that they appeared to be dancing to the two boys watching. Water sprayed and flew about their shifting forms, their hair flying about their faces as they moved with another; neither giving an inch and likewise neither gaining ground because of it. They both moved with a grace and strength akin to a panther, their eyes and minds focused on the here and now rather than what was to come. While Naruto had the additional strength behind his heavy blows, Rina had the majestic, fluid traits of a ballerina, compensating for her deficiencies in strength and power by using her flexibility as an advantage in the fight, often utilizing it to narrowly avoid a hit that would have crippled her otherwise.

The pair fought for many minutes, transfixing the two simply watching from the shoreline. It was after Naruto figured that they had given a good enough show that he decided he should finish things up. When next Rina's fist came in his right hand suddenly grabbed at the wrist. Using her own momentum against her, Naruto then threw her bodily into the air. Immediately jumping to follow after, he infused double the amount of chakra into his lower limbs, the action giving him enough to rocket passed the flying form of his sister. Flipping about in mid-air, Naruto drew his left leg down, applying its heel to Rina's stomach before shooting her down to the waiting water below. Rina, momentarily startled enough at the abrupt change, realized her situation too late to halt her downward momentum and in turn plunged into the seawater hard below.

Landing lightly on top of the water once more, Naruto watched with much amusement as his sister's head exploded to the surface, Rina spluttering and cursing all the while. Walking over to her he reached out a hand, a hand she readily enough accepted, and hauled her dripping form back out of the water.

Grumbling about stupid brothers, Rina set to squeezing the water out of her now drenched clothing.

Adding insult to injury with good motives in mind Naruto said, "Let me," and flicking his wrist created a current of wind that whirled and whipped about the redhead, effectively drying both her and her clothing, but at the same time causing Rina's hair to blow out in all direction which further irritated the girl.

"Dammit Nii-san!" she cried aloud, her hands coming up to try and control the explosion that had been her finely groomed hair just moments ago.

Naruto just laughed and guiding Rina to the shore approached the boys who didn't know whether to laugh at the sight of the girl having the bad hair day or keep quiet lest they draw the wrath of the irate female. Luckily they chose the latter of the two so they kept their heads for the time being.

"You guys get the picture right? Just try and focus on your chakra moving with the water beneath you."

Both boys inclined their heads in acknowledgement of the advice before they moved closer to the water. There both proceeded to place one foot back and forth onto the water, testing to see how much chakra they would need to use in order to at least attempt to stay atop the surface. When at last they felt somewhat comfortable with a first attempt, they placed a second foot onto the water before shakily standing there, the effort to stay above water instantly showing on their faces as they wobbled about.

Naruto was about to congratulate the two for keeping at least on their feet for so long on their first attempt when they both seemed to lose it at exactly the same moment Rina shouted out with a cheeky smirk, "Don't fall guys!" The remark startled the boys enough break their concentration, but luckily they were in shallow water so they only sank down to their mid-calf area. The shout, however, seemed to set Sasuke off somewhat and he yelled out, "Dammit Rina! Don't do that!"

Rina's grin only widened at that and she began to whistle, feigning innocence, "Do what?"

Naruto sighed, shaking his head before simply thumping his sister on the back of the head, sending her headfirst back into the water. When she had at least resurfaced Naruto moved towards dry land whilst saying, "Since you seem so interested in how they're doing you can make sure they're doing everything correctly. If not then you can run for two hours straight on the water. I bet you wasted a lot of chakra this morning so it's your choice." With that he found a nice grassy spot beneath a tree to lie under and pulling out various scrolls filled with seal, began to work.

Runa watched her brother muttering, "Lazy ass…" under her breath before redirecting her attention back to her two teammates. Sighing at their failed attempts of staying on their feet, Rina created a clone then sent it to assist Shino while she helped Sasuke.

As she approached, Sasuke yet again failed at keeping himself upright, the boy cursing all the while as his shorts continued to get drenched with him falling on his backside. Reaching out a helping hand Rina said, "Come on. I'll help."

Sasuke merely looked at the offered hand, agitating the girl when he gave her a questioning yet equally condescending look.

"Oh come on. Stop trying to act like you're way better than me or Shino or anyone else. If you're really part of this team you'll accept the help I'm offering. I'm not trying to show you up or anything so stop being all high and mighty. I'll leave you alone if you want, but I'm offering because I want to. Take it or leave it," Rina reprimanded the Uchiha, keeping her arm outstretched. When Sasuke made no move to grab her hand she sighed and began to retract it, only for something surprising to happen; her hand being grabbed by another's.

Arching her brow down at Sasuke who was refusing to make eye contact, she couldn't believe her ears when she heard him actually say, "Can you…help me…?" the words coming out obviously grudgingly.

Rina stared down at their clasped hands before yanking Sasuke up and out of the water, a small smile gracing her lips. "Of course I will. Just stop trying to act like such a damn hotshot all the time. My brother and us three are a team. The sooner we start behaving like one the sooner we'll get better. Teammates and friends help each other okay?" Receiving a nod in response she continued, "All right. Place your hands on mine and we'll take this nice and slow."

And slow they went, Rina and her clone guiding both Sasuke and Shino respectively across the water, more often than not catching the boys before they slipped beneath the waves. At first both were having a hard time, struggling to even stand let alone walk, but as time went on their movements became more regular, more confident. While still unsteady and shaky, by the end of the second hour both boys were managing around ten feet of walking before they lost their concentration for whatever reason and Rina had to grab at them before they fell.

"Wow you guys are doing awesome. Better than me when I started."

Shino and Sasuke nodded their heads weakly, most of their attention still focused on controlling the chakra in their feet.

Naruto watched from afar, taking in the scene with knowing eyes. While he could have easily enough given all the tips in the world on how to go about completing the exercise, cooperation and teamwork worked far more wonders. The blonde was not an idiot and knew his team wasn't the most efficient or cooperative. Such details were really only formed with time together for the genin of each team had to come to an accord, had to come to intellectual understanding between one another. That was something Naruto as the teacher could push ever so slightly, but in the end had no real control over. A team either did it or did not, that was just fact. Now looking at the three, Naruto felt more confident than he had prior and felt somewhere in his gut that these three would go far in their careers as shinobi; so long as Naruto could keep them alive long enough to be able to defend themselves later on of course.

"Well looks like you two are doing much better!" Naruto called from the sidelines, the suddenness of his shout nearly disrupting the fragile focus the boys were stubbornly holding onto. "Rina, move to phase two of the training. I hope you remember how it goes."

Looking back over her shoulder at her brother, the redheaded shouted, "Got it!" before moving to the shoreline and into the forest beyond.

Curious as to what phase two could concern, the two boys waited until Rina eventually emerged, her left shirt pocket bulging slightly. Now staying off the water Rina withdrew numerous small stones from her shirt and without warning bean to fire them at her teammates' feet who began to stumble from side to side in order to avoid the projectiles; ultimately falling back into the water.

"What the hell Rina?!" Sasuke spluttered out, bobbing up and down in the seawater for as they had gotten more comfortable the pair had traveled farther and father out from the shoreline, walking over deeper water.

Rina simply shrugged, seeming not to care about any anger or outrage directed her way. "It's how I was taught by Nii-san. Phase one is to stand on the water without falling in. Phase two is to avoid stuff such as rocks being thrown at you while still not falling in. Phase three is to fight while practicing not to think about your feet. Now don't be a baby and let's try again."

Taken aback by Rina's almost strict tone of voice, Sasuke did just that, rising shakily once again to his feet quickly followed by Shino who had yet to say a word this entire time. Seeing that the two were ready, Rina began chucking a couple of stones every few moments, waiting just long enough in between throws to let her teammates prepare for the next coming onslaught.

This style of learning was actually quite beneficial for new learners who focused entirely on their feet and not enough on relaxing. While not completely focused on their feet and more so on the incoming rocks, the boys weren't thinking much about staying on top of the water, but more rather avoiding the stones thrown at them, their bodies instinctually reacting. This caused them in turn to unconsciously set in their minds a cap on how much chakra was needed to stay atop the water and the amount they would need to adjust accordingly with the ever-shifting water beneath them. All of this was done without the new learners even knowing what was happening.

Because of the fast and vigorous speed that phase two was taken at, neither boy getting a break whether they wanted one or not, stones almost always in the air, it was no wonder that their progress began to be noted. While at first they of course fell many times into the water, the number of times they did so began to diminish as time went on. Soon enough they were dodging the thrown rocks with a bit of effort, only moving their feet to do so, both appearing able to sustain themselves on top of the water with the barest minimal of actual falls.

Watching the spectacle, Naruto knew that while Rina wasn't actually showing it for Sasuke's sake, he knew she was rather enjoying her position in the whole exercise; forcing the boys to dance and stumble before her. Shaking his head at his sister's antics, the blonde was about to return to his research when he felt the sudden influx of memories invade his mind. Closing his eyes in order to best go over the new information received from the disappearance of a clone, what Naruto saw made his body jerk, the man immediately standing. Cupping his hands over his mouth to be heard clearly he shouted, "Hey guys! Get over here! We've got a little trouble!"

The three instantly complied to their sensei's call, Rina jumping to his side while the other two used their newfound abilities of walking on water to walk carefully over to the blonde, stumbling here and there, but showing how far they had come in such a short period of time.

When all three were assembled before him Rina asked, "What's wrong?"

"Just a small problem really. Seems a bunch of Gato's men showed up at the construction site and are harassing the people and trying to stop work from continuing. Since you guys haven't received any real battle experience, this will be good for you. While there is a difference between a ninja and hired thug, it'll still help. Your job is to stop Gato's men. As a condition due to the difficulty level involved you will do so without killing. While I know none of you have taken your first kill yet, I don't want you doing so now. That would only jeopardize the team. Remember, anyone can kill, but it takes real skill to restrain."

Letting those words sink in Naruto continued on with his instructions. "I'll stay here and guard Tazuna and his men. Fight as one and this will be easy for you. Understood?" When he received nods from all three Naruto then swept his arm out in front of his chest. "Then go!" and that they did, taking off down the road at their sensei's bidding.

XxX

When the three finally stopped and took in the scene before them, their faces turned grim and their lips set. There before them was a mass of Gato's men, all busily harassing the poor villagers nearby the construction site, throwing supplies around, and appearing as though they were enjoying every moment of it. It was only when the apparent leader of the motley group saw Team 7 standing atop a large pile of lumber that all actions ceased, all eyes turning in the three's direction.

"You don't want to be on the side of these fools. What do you all care anyway? This isn't your country, it isn't your problem!" yelled out the leader.

Team 7 took in the sight of many villagers struggling to their feet, clearly defined bruises showing on their bodies from the treatment they had received at the hands of the thugs. The scene just angered the three and locking her gaze on the leader Rina replied coldly, the tone reminiscent of her own brother when he was severely angered, "It is now." Rina drew out multiple shuriken in both hands at this, matching the many different weapons wielded by the thugs ranging from common household tools to crudely crafted swords.

"I suggest you leave now. There will be no mercy for anyone on Gato's side."

The men all burst out in laughter at this declaration. "A bunch of punk ass kids are going to tell us to leave? Hah! Get in there and tear those brats apart boys!" At his command all the thugs rushed the trio, releasing a loud bellow as they did so.

Rina turned her head to look at first one teammate and then the next, giving each a nod which they returned accordingly. Suddenly flinging her shuriken at the mob fast approaching, the weapons aimed at non-vital areas to satisfy Naruto's condition, the three then hurtled themselves into the mix, Rina created three clones to watch the backs of her companions and herself.

The initial attack downed several of Gato's men that couldn't dive out of the way fast enough. The two groups then met halfway, crude weapons meeting the edges of finely crafted steel kunai. The three young shinobi were instantly on the offensive, showing no mercy to anyone as they worked in unison just as they had been taught, using the uncoordinated movements of the enemy to their advantage with proper, well-rehearsed tactics.

The team used a common tactic for lower skilled fighters. A member of Team 7 would block an oncoming blow, halting the strike just long enough to stop its momentum before whipping back and away, the suddenly empty space filled in by Rina's clones or another of Team 7. None of the thugs knew how to counter the strategy for as soon as they made a move to attack the unsuspecting back of one of the ninja, the strike would be quickly intercepted by another, startling the man just long enough with the failed attempt for them to be either knocked out or cut down in a nonlethal area.

This was how Team 7 completely and utterly destroyed the mass of badly trained thugs, the three using a tightly compact hexagon formation as they danced about one another, neither staying in place long before moving onto the next mark to be quickly replaced by another.

The strategy decimated the ranks of Gato's men for they fought for themselves rather for each other. Many seeing their companions falling so easily at the hands of the so called brat lost their nerve and tried to escape only for them to be stopped by either a blow to the back of the neck or a quick throw of a kunai at the back of their knees. Team 7 was having none escape.

So efficient were the trio that from start to finish the fight had barely lasted four minutes, the three barely breathing hard after wiping out nearly all of Gato's men. During it all the people of the small fishing village watched on in awe, many displaying vindictive grins as they watched their abusers that had bullied them for so many years finally get what they rightly deserved.

As cowardly as expected from a leader of such a simple group of cutthroats and bandits, the man had stayed in the back where he thought he would be safe from harm as his men took care of the ninja. However, watching his men wiped out so effortlessly by the ninja, the leader soon realized that defeat was nigh and turned, running at full speed away from all the fighting and towards the crop of trees that would aid in his escape.

Rina, ducking beneath an attempted punch, saw the leader scurrying away and instantly made after him, darting quickly between the thinned out ranks of the men. When she broke free from the group she then pumped her legs all the more harder, her arms stretched out behind her. A simple, non-shinobi pace was nothing compared to the speed a ninja traveled at and in effect Rina easily caught up with him.

Hearing the quick approach of someone behind him, the leader stopped his run and quickly pulled out a rusty looking dagger, a smirk settling across his lips as he leered down at Rina. "Some bitch like you ain't gonna stop me!" Shouting out his denial, the man lunged for Rina who in turn showed no form of worry or doubt in her skills.

Quickly dodging to the side, Rina began a series of back flips as the leader came at her, swinging his knife again and again, trying to get a cut in, but failing miserably in the attempt.

Taking into consideration that her team might need her no matter how badly these thugs actually fought, Rina leaped over the next oncoming dagger thrust, her hands finding the man's shoulder before catapulting over him. Within a split second of touching down onto her feet she was moving again, her foot raised to the side before she swung it forward, making a clearly audible 'thunk' as her foot made contact with the back of the man's skull.

The leader dropped like a stone in his now unconscious state, his body sprawling out across the ground.

Finishing up with the last of the goons, Sasuke and Shino quickly joined up with Rina, all three staring down at the now motionless bulk of the leader.

"What do you think we should with him?" questioned Rina with a look of obvious disgust written across her features.

"I would advise we bind him and the rest of his men and contain them somewhere secure," came Shino's answer, which the other two agreed to instantly.

While Sasuke removed several coils of ninja wire from his pouch, one of the original villagers that had been surely beaten approached the group, raising his hand in greeting. "Thank you so much for the help and saving us, young ninja."

"It was our pleasure trust us," Rina responded in turn.

"If you would like, we can secure these…men. Gato has a confinement area he's used on us that would do nicely I think."

"Sounds good thank you. We'll get them tied up and I'll deliver them all myself in case any wake up and start causing trouble," Rina said earning a perplexed expression from the older gentlemen.

"You'll bring them all yourself? I don't mean to criticize you, but there are quite a lot of them," he said, drawing a valid point.

Rina grinned at him before turning to Shino, "How many would you estimate there to be in that sorry bunch over there?"

Shino thought for a moment, his hand coming up to adjust his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I would hazard to estimate a number between forty and fifty if anything."

Nodding her head Rina made a single hand seal and from there an explosion of white smoke soon ensued, quickly followed by the collective gasps of the onlookers as they saw not just one Rina, but fifty others.

"Can you give a few of my girls some wire Sasuke? It'll make tying them up a lot faster." When Sasuke did hand over more than half his store of wire Rina's clones set to work, binding each thug by tying the wire about both their wrists and ankles; tightly enough so that they wouldn't be able to wiggle out or escape their bonds.

After all the prisoners were bound and were unable to move, Rina then ordered her clones to hoist the men onto their shoulders, some quite heavy to be sure with Rina compensating by pushing chakra into the _tenketsu_ in her arms and lets to ease the load. When all had been picked up, the small army made its way towards where the men would be held for the time being, the villagers cheering them along with happy smiles on their faces. Waiting until the procession had disappeared beyond sight, Rina then formed ten more clones, ordering them to assume a perimeter around the construction site untold otherwise.

It was after all this that Rina's body stiffened without warning, her eyes enlarging slightly as an influx of new memories from one particular clone came to her. Her jaw tightening, her eyes assuming a cold state akin to her brother when he was mad, Rina inwardly seethed, but at the same time kept her raging emotions bottled up for the time being. Turning to her teammates she snapped out, "I'll continue to watch the site. We can't have any more of Gato's men coming back while we're gone. You two head back to Nii-san and report."

Both boys eyed Rina speculatively, never once having heard nor seen this particular side to the girl. Smart enough to know something was amiss Shino raised his voice in query. "What is the matter Ri-" but was quickly cut off by Rina.

"Nothing's the matter Shino."

"Your words may suggest such, but your behavior certainly does not."

Rina paused at this, realizing her mistake. "I just-I just need to talk to Nii-san first and then I'll tell you guys later. Deal?"

Seeing that something was indeed wrong, but knowing they would not find out anything until later, Shino and Sasuke inclined their heads in acceptance before swiftly departing back to the bridge to seek out their sensei.

Knowing that her brother would never truly leave his team alone even to something so minor as thugs, Rina began to eye the surrounding tree-lining, scanning until she-ah there he was. Seeing what was most likely a clone crouching low on a tree limb a little ways off from her, Rina then reached up to pull at the bottom of her right ear while keeping eye contact with her brother, giving the silent message for trouble before tapping her pursed lips with the middle three fingers of one hand to show they needed to talk.

When she received the affirmative pat on the chin followed by Naruto pointing to the left, she watched as he leaped off his perch, making towards a more secluded area so as for them to not be overheard by prying ears.

When Rina had joined up with him, Naruto raised an eyebrow in question, giving her a look that signified she should start talking.

Thinking it best to not beat about the bush concerning matters such these Rina simply said, "I know where Zabuza is." This particular statement rightly earned her a look of both bemusement and surprise from her brother, a look that quickly morphed into an expression of utmost seriousness when Naruto had registered her words.

"Where?"

"A few miles out from the village. Seems he and his partner are hiding out in an abandoned house out there."

Naruto eyed the girl with searching eyes, the unspoken words clearly understood on Rina's part. 'Explain. Now.'

 _Flashback-Rina's clone_

Rina-clone had trailed Haku for what seemed three hours judging by the sun high up in the sky above her. While initially setting out just to prevent any potential interception of Haku by any of Gato's men, the minor mission had changed somewhat; Rina-clone's intrigue growing substantially when Haku seemed to backtrack many times over on her way to her unknown destination. Curious as to why Haku would need to do such, Rina-clone kept her distance, using the many years of attempted pranks and mock attacks on her brother to expertly avoid detection.

When at last Haku seemed to have reached her destination, an old, ramshackle house to be more exact, Rina-clone waited until the young teenager had disappeared within before sneakily approaching the slightly ajar door entrance. Pressing her back up against the wall next to it, Rina listened in as the people inside began to speak.

"Zabuza-sama, did I not say that you must wait to try and stand? You won't be up to your full strength for another two days yet. Please go lie back down."

'Zabuza?!' Rina-clone mentally cried to herself. With this bit of news she wondered if she should perchance leave now and try to put as much distance as possible between herself and the dangerous ninja. It was here that realization struck her and she would have hit herself for being an idiot if she had not just remembered then that she was only a clone and would dispel if she did. Inching just a bit closer with this reassurance in mind, Rina-close listened in intently whilst wondering what sort of connection Haku might have with someone like Zabuza.

"Haku…I can't just sit around all day and get rusty when the time to fight the Yellow Wraith is drawing closer. I have to be at my best if I want to have any chance of beating him. This is nothi-" and here his legs began to shake violently before ultimately giving out beneath him, the man falling to the ground with a groan.

Haku jumped forward as quickly as she could, managing to catch at least his head before it hit the hard surface below. Sitting down and carefully placing Zabuza's head on her lap, she stared down at him while she spoke. "I told you you're not up to your full strength yet. Rest another day before you try to at least walk again. For me."

Zabuza growled at this, but did not attempt to stand again, simply staring up at the ceiling above. "Where'd you go while I was sleeping Haku…?"

"I went to gather herbs so I might quicken your recovery Zabuza-sama."

"Then what are you waiting for? Get to it. I have to be ready in two days," Zabuza snapped out irritably.

Haku didn't make a move for her basket, instead choosing to stare off to the side, her fingers digging into her kimono as she spoke. "I met the younger sister to the Yellow Wraith while I was collecting herbs."

Zabuza instantly snapped his attention to Haku, his face showing clear excitement as he asked, "And you killed her right? Haku tell me you killed her."

Refusing to make eye contact Haku shook her head. "I did not nor could I. She sensed my approach and had the advantage over me. I had no weapons to defend myself so I chose to gather as much information as I could from her instead."

Zabuza sighed at this, the excitement draining from his face. "Did you at least…learn anything important?" he questioned, struggling to his feet and using the wall as support, slowly made his way to the bed before falling onto it face down, still keeping Haku in sight with his turned head.

Haku bowed her head in his direction. "I did not Zabuza-sama. Nothing substantial at least." Here she once again began to nervously play with her kimono, staring down at the ground. "I will be ready for whatever occurs in two days however."

Zabyza gave Haku a long, calculating look before he lowered his gaze, looking away. "Good. You're my secret weapon Haku. You know useful you are to me and my overall ambition. I can tell you don't want to kill the girl, but remember how close we are to reaching our goal. Just a little more money from Gato and we can return to Water with the means to fund a proper rebellion and take back our country." Here his voice grew softer as if he was speaking to no one in particular. "Just a little bit longer…"

Haku bowed her head once more, knowing Zabuza's desires to retake the country from the Fourth Mizukage's dictatorship and stop the mass genocide of those with some fashion of a bloodline. Moving to Zabuza's side after retrieving her basket of herbs, she began to ready the necessary ingredients to redress his bandages. "Of course Zabuza-sama. There's nothing at all to worry about. I know what this mission means to us and how important it is to you."

Rina-clone couldn't take any more of this and quietly backing away from the house, she quickly made her to an area a good distance away. Knowing the original had to be informed of these new events Rina-clone poofed out of existence; dispelling herself to warn the original about the new information she had collected.

 _Back with Rina and Naruto_

After explaining what had had happened and all information gathered Rina watched her brother's clone carefully, wondering what his response would be.

Naruto stared long and hard at Rina, his face showing a myriad of emotions before finally settling on disapproval. "What you did was risky and very dangerous, Rina. Giving up information like that could have seriously endangered not only you, but the rest of the team as well if you had given more. I'm very disappointed in you." Seeing his sister's sullen face he then sighed, rubbing at his face for he never enjoyed upsetting his sister. "But what you did after gave me much to think over so I'll forgive you for your mistake this time. Just make sure it doesn't happen again."

"It won't Nii-san."

Naruto nodded his head. "Then tomorrow I'll have Shino and Sasuke guard Tazuna again while continuing to practice walking on water. You and I are going to take a little trip to discuss a few things with Zabuza. You do remember the way don't you?" Receiving an affirmative nod from Rina who showed her surprise at the plan he continued. "Good. Now get back to the bridge. We have a lot to discuss and I have a few things I have to share with all three of you as well."

"Finally going to tell us where you've been going every day?" Rina questioned curiously.

Chuckling and ruffling her hair fondly he responded, "Yes yes. Now get going. I should be with the other two by this point." With that his clone dispelled leaving Rina alone in the forest. Knowing that the time of confrontation between themselves and Gato was swiftly approaching, Rina began her short hike back to the bridge, her mind once more drifting back to her time with Haku and how she had been tricked.


	8. Waves V: Fight Club

**Hello all you crazy readers of this makeshift Naruto world I call my own. Oh and…Happy Halloween! Here's hopefully a gift for the holidays! After three grueling months of school I was finally able to crank this chapter out. A few warnings before you read though!**

 ***laughs all crazy like** *** After one of the reviews to this story I just had to, I HAD TO post this comment. A reader actually thought this story had no originality and thought it basically the same as canon! Hah! He didn't read passed the first chapter of Wave where I'll admit there was nothing really original there, but after oh my oh my he decided not to continue reading. Ah well. His loss. Thanks for playing bud! And the comment was made after I posted this chapter. So long sucka!**

 **In all honesty I really, to put it lightly, don't care what you think about the length of my chapters or arcs. They're mine to I can do whatever I want hah! But seriously, I know this arc has dragged on a lot soooo with that being said please don't just comment to talk about how it's too long. I got it already heh.**

 **Second! This'll be the longest written arc I'll probably ever write. Just to let you guys know!**

 **Third! I'm going to try and tweak things around how I write. You might notice some small differences, you might not, but things shouldn't change a whole lot with my style so no worries there…unless you utterly hate then I don't know what to say except FU!**

 **A big shoutout to my sole beta reader! He's certainly earned the spot for sure after dealing with me for err…5 or 6 months now? I'm actually pretty reliant on what my readers think and take their opinions into account. Sooo Biscione take a well deserved bow! You derserve it man! A to anyone that wishes to be a reader shoot me a message. That is unless you talk like 'y did u do this?' then no, please for the love of holy Kami above just no.**

 **Anyways! Who's ready to RUMBLEEEEEE?! Get ready for lots and lots and lots of fighting and crap! Hopefully you'll enjoy it!**

I do not own Naruto and I may never.

Chapter Eight:

Rina eventually regrouped with the rest of her team, all four meeting at the foot of the almost completed bridge. After explaining the situation concerning Zabuza, with Naruto vowing to inform Tazuna of the situation at hand due to circumstances now being too great for the man to be ignorant of current events, the blonde then went on to account for his whereabouts over the past two days whilst leaving out, of course, the more specific details such as the step by step process of his interrogation. When everyone knew the necessary information, with many questions being asked and answered, the group then finished up the last remaining hours of their guard duty. Upon being completed, Team 7, with Tazuna in tow, headed back to the house to finish up a day that had held some exciting moments for the three young Genin.

It was upon arriving at their temporary residence that Naruto took Tazuna aside, finally confessing to the man that not only was Zabuza alive thanks to his partner's interference, but Team 7 was also contending with four more dangerous ninja whom they would have to eventually combat in order for not only their mission to be complete, but also for the country to be removed from Gato's greedy, vile hands.

Initially Tazuna, of course, had begun to freak out upon hearing the awful news, bemoaning his fate in his moderately drunken state. In the end, however, he had managed to pull himself together long enough to fully address the situation now at hand. Achieving a state of somewhat level-headedness, Tazuna then thanked Naruto for trying to reassure himself and his family concerning Zabuza's alleged death, for explaining the situation now presented to them, and then went on to inform Naruto that he would continue work on the bridge no matter the cost, even at the expense of his own life.

After heartily clapping the old man on the back for his brave and courageous resolve, both men proceeded into the house to finish off the night with some amazing food courtesy of Tsunami, amusedly watch Rina nearly throttle Sasuke for a particularly condescending remark, and overall just have a good time while they could with good company.

XxX

Everyone met the following morning at the usual spot just outside of the house, all looking relatively more serious than they had before due to not only the events that would unfold that day, but also being one day away from the apparent and almost certain confrontation between the Konoha group and Gato's help.

As explained the day prior, Sasuke and Shino would escort Tazuna to the bridge where they would then go about trying to become more proficient with walking atop water as well as protecting those working on the bridge that day. According to Tazuna, if all went as scheduled the structure would be completed in the next coming days as well, further highlighting the importance of protecting the momentous project.

The job held by both siblings, however, would be much more harder than their fellow counterparts. While the boys would be protecting the bridge and its crew as usual, Naruto and Rina would be tracking down the known whereabouts of Zabuza's hideout and confronting the man. Naruto hadn't gone into full detail of what the duo would say or do when they eventually did come in contact with the man and his partner, but the blonde had repeatedly assured everyone that whatever happened that day, the end result would be beneficial for their side one way or another.

"You guys know the plan?" came Naruto's voice addressing the boys before him.

"We do, Naruto-sensei," Shino answered in turn and when Naruto fixed his gaze on Sasuke, he received a simple inclination of the head to show that the Uchiha was well aware of the plan at hand.

"All right. Guess we'll be heading off then. Both of you be careful today. We don't know if Gato will try an early attack for embarrassing him and his men yesterday. Stay alert." Seeing both boys nod their heads Naruto then turned towards his sister, sweeping his hand out dramatically before him. "Lead the way, Rina."

XxX

Upon leaving, both Naruto and Rina took to the road rather than the tress, setting at a light jog. Thanks to the memories received from Rina's clone the day before the original Rina was able to estimate that it would take the siblings at most an hour to reach Zabuza's location.

As they ran Naruto thought over the situation presented to him and his team. The factors that they would have to inevitably face: Zabuza, his partner, and the four other ninja were quite dire and Naruto despised himself for having to put his very young, inexperienced team through this. That was one of the main reasons he and his sister were going on this venture to find Zabuza. If Naruto was successful in this, or even unsuccessful, his team would be better off than they would be if he hadn't decided upon this course of action.

At the pace they had set it didn't take long to reach Zabuza's whereabouts. Breaking through the tree foliage, the pair slowed themselves to an idle walk, taking in the sight of the relatively quiet, broken down house before them with attentive eyes. For most, the house would have appeared unoccupied, however, the siblings knew better. For them, it was very clear that the house was far from being empty. A shinobi trained his or her body so thoroughly, so vigorously that many a ninja had a sixth sense that was not easily accessed by the normal population of the world. This sixth sense enabled a shinobi to instinctually sense when something was amiss in their surroundings or if an enemy was nearby. This ability was of course not lost on the two ninja staring at the house, their senses crying out for them to be cautious. However, the way this sixth sense impacted the ninja's behavior was like polar opposites in this case.

Naruto looked to be completely at ease. The man did not let his senses enforce what his body did. Rather he controlled his body; forcing it to be relaxed even against the warnings his own instincts were shouting at him. He knew that, with the chakra he had purposely been forcing out of his system, pulsating the chakra from his body every few moments, Zabuza would have known of their approach well in advance of their actual arrival so the sight of the quiet house didn't overly alarm the tall blonde.

Rina, on the other hand, was quite on edge, her gaze darting about furiously in an attempt to locate any movement or disturbance that might suggest the presence of either Zabuza or Haku, her body tight and ready to spring into action if the case may be.

"Relax Rina. We're fine," came the sudden, but quiet words of Naruto, the man putting a reassuring hand on his sister's shoulder in an attempt to settle her nerves.

Rina didn't immediately respond to her brother's words, continuing to stare about the small glade. She had already been embarrassed once on this mission, falling to Haku's ploy of digging for information and she would not, she could not, be caught unawares again. However, when the girl felt the hand on her shoulder squeeze just a bit more firmly she slowly dropped her guard, just enough to appear more relaxed.

"How do you know?" Rina obviously asked next, turning to stare up at her older brother.

"Simple. He's too hurt to really do much fighting, especially against me," and here Naruto raised his voice so as to be heard by the occupants within the house, "Isn't that right, Zabuza?"

In answer to that the creaking of a door being opened was audibly heard. As both siblings turned to peer at the dark figure emerging from within the house's gloomy shadows Naruto sensed an approach from both sides. Turning quickly upon the balls of his feet, yanking out a kunai from his pouch while at the same time pushing Rina's head down, Naruto easily blocked the flurry of senbons that greeted him from the right, batting them away with a quick side slash. Whipping his body around to meet the next attack just as it came, the sound of metal crashing upon metal rang out distinctly; kunai holding back a wielded senbon, one wielder shaking with effort while the other remained perfectly still as Naruto kept the attack at bay.

"Ah so you must be Haku. Rina's told me quite a bit about you."

Aware that the attempted surprise attack had failed Haku pulled back, disengaging herself from the deadlock. Jumping back so that her body was set purposely in between Naruto and Zabuza, Haku shifted herself into a defensive posture, holding her senbon out in front of her whilst trying to appear intimidating.

"You know, Rina did say you were more talkative. Care to discuss things with her? I'd much rather speak with Zabuza alone if you don't mind."

"I won't let you anywhere near Zabuza-sama," Haku replied coldly, the conviction evident in her voice.

"Enough Haku. We both know you can't beat him, " Zabuza ordered, unsteadily standing at the entrance to the house, one hand on the wooden frame of the door to support his shaking body.

"You've trained me since I was very young, Zabuza-sama. I can beat him," Haku shot back, partially surprising Zabuza for she had never once disobeyed his direct orders.

"I said enough Haku," Zabuza answered her, putting more force into his words to emphasize his order.

"I'd honestly rather you do what he says. Better for all of us," Naruto said, putting in his own two cents.

Haku's body slackened a bit when she heard that, her grip on the senbon relaxing. Then as if thinking differently, her pose tightened once more and giving a small shake of the head replied back, "I cannot do that. Not now. Not while Zabuza-sama is at risk. I promised to defend you with my life and I will do that. Even if it means disobeying you."

Only Naruto noticed the flash of some unknown emotion cross over Zabuza's face; right before Haku launched herself forward, starting off the fight with an immediate barrage of senbons that she fired with precision, all aimed directly at…

'Shit!' Naruto mentally berated himself. Moving as fast as his body would allow, Naruto grabbed at Rina's wrist. Spinning about and heaving forward, he threw her a fair distance away, a look of surprise painted on her face as she went flying through the air, the senbons barely missing her form thanks to Naruto's intervention.

Haku was on Naruto a split second later, senbon in her right hand as she prepared to stab him from behind, aiming for a point around the heart that would immobilize him with a single, well aimed strike.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion to Rina as she watched, her body flying through the air. The senbon came in straight and true, sharpened point inching its way slowly towards Naruto's back; no amount of hesitation evident in Haku' eyes as her weapon drew ever closer to her brother. Rina wished to cry out, wished to do something to warn her brother, but no sound escaped her. It was just as her body was about to hit the ground that she finally saw Naruto move; or more precisely didn't see him move.

Loading chakra into the soles of his sandals in an instinctive reaction, activating the seals he had long ago placed on them, Naruto propelled himself upwards. Shifting his weight back, Naruto back flipped over Haku, his hands grabbing at her shoulders, getting a good grip of her kimono. Gritting his teeth and moving with the flow of his backflip, Naruto yanked Haku's form along for the ride, hauling her bodily into the air before ultimately launching her straight backwards, reinforcing his muscles with chakra to send her flying straight at the side of a tree.

Reacting quickly, Haku spun about in mid-air, purposely putting her feet behind her so when she made contact with the tree her feet absorbed most of the force behind the throw.

'I have to keep my distance from him,' Haku thought, preparing for her next attack by grabbing up a handful of senbons in each hand.

Knowing she couldn't let Naruto close or else be put at a disadvantage with her lack of close combat skills and his experience in it, Haku threw herself back into the fight. Keeping as much space in between herself and Naruto, she darted to the side, flinging senbon after senbon at the blonde, a virtual flurry of projectiles closing the distance between the two fighters as Haku tried to keep Naruto from going on the offensive.

Distance was not an issue for one such as Naruto in who relied on speed to corner his opponents. Moving with Haku, but at an angle of interception, Naruto blocked the oncoming senbons with his kunai. Closing the gap between them quickly, Naruto suddenly jumped into the air, forcing chakra into the tenketsu points in his legs in order to give himself a small boost of speed. Rocketing towards Haku and performing a quick flip in mid-air to add to the momentum of his next attack, Naruto snapped a leg down powerfully, aiming for the space between her shoulder and neck.

Unable to dodge and barely having any time to react the only thing Haku could possibly do was cross her arms above her head in a meager defense, taking the blow full force. However, what happened next surprised both Naruto and Rina.

Instead of being pummeled down into the ground from the sheer force behind the downward cut, Haku's skin turned a pale white and then erupted out, shards of white shooting out to cut Naruto all over his upper body, drawing blood from the blonde. That wasn't all that happened, however. As Haku's body exploded, whatever material had made up her body began to surround the leg that had struck her, wrapping quickly around Naruto's leg so much so that his calf quickly became encased.

'What the hell is that?'

Knowing he better get away Naruto flash stepped away from the spot, his body feeling strangely heavy and weighted down. Once arriving at an area clear of the explosion he had time to look down at the ice now covering his leg from ankle to knee, the shell appearing to be an inch deep at the very least.

'Hyōton?' Naruto had time to consider before he suddenly felt a presence from above. Snapping his head back, he saw Haku; one hand moving rapidly through seals while the other remained perfectly still.

'Hand signs with a single hand too?' Naruto thought, rather impressed with the skills Haku was exhibiting. Trust Zabuza to train his subordinate so well. However, he was forced back to reality when he heard Haku shout out…

"Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishō (Secret Technique: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death)!"

The air about the girl seemed to shimmer for a moment, waves of water appearing from the very air about her. From there the water solidified, transforming into countless needles whose composition was obvious; all the needles aimed directly in Naruto's direction.

Haku didn't take long to launch her attack, and when she did all one thousand of those deadly needles shot forth, all pinpointed on Naruto's location.

Seeing he had only a small window of time to defend himself Naruto didn't even think, merely reacted. Focusing chakra at the back of his throat, melding it there while he flashed through hand signs, Naruto leaned forward and spat out an orange ball of fire. Aiming it in the general direction of the oncoming shower of water needles and muttering a soft, "Katon: Kaen Funka (Fire Release: Blaze Eruption), he sent his attack right at it.

For just a moment both fighters watched on as their attacks drew closer to one another. It was just as the attacks were about to collide that Naruto jumped, following quickly behind his own attack, the movement so timed with the collision that Haku never saw him move.

The moment the ball of fire made contact with one of the needles, it was like Hell was opening its gates. Once the two attacks met the chakra holding the flames in its compact, spherical form dispersed rapidly and with it the flames, the result from that being a literal inferno of bright, hot fire that consumed each and every last needle that had been sent at Naruto. The explosion lasted only four seconds, but it was enough time to capture every needle within its grasp, sufficiently countering the attack.

Haku watched on from above, not even realizing until too late the speed at which Naruto had closed the gap between them.

Appearing from behind out of the steam and snapping his leg out, Naruto nailed a kick solidly onto Haku's lower back, the blow knocking the air from her as she was sent careening back towards earth. So sudden was the attack and the force behind it that she couldn't even stop her downward plunge and ultimately went crashing into a tree, splitting the giant oak in half.

Naruto landed back down gently, staring at the small dust cloud that had formed as a result of the crash.

Rising slowly from where she had landed and clutching at her shoulder, Haku emerged from the wreckage, her eyes showing pain but more so the conviction she still had even after failing to score a decisive hit on Naruto. Small wounds like the ones he had sustained from her ice clone explosion were nothing to him and she knew she would have to find some way to outpace him if she ever wished to actually win this fight.

"So you're a Hyōton user? That's quite rare for someone to have nowadays," Naruto commented almost conversationally, staring with intrigue at Haku.

Keeping a hand on her wounded shoulder Haku began to step forward, eyeing Naruto warily. "You are correct. I am the last that I know of to hold it."

"Let me guess. The Bloodline Wars?"

"Yes…my mother used to speak of many of our clan dying fighting the tyrant that is the Sandaime Mizukage," answered Haku.

Naruto stared down at the ice still refusing to release his leg. 'This definitely needs to go.' Putting thoughts to action he crouched and placed his hand on the ice, releasing a steady amount of chakra.

The ice stood no chance against Naruto's proficiency in wind and with it whirling furiously around his hand the ice quickly shattered into thousands of little pieces, the shards falling to the ground below.

Smirking in success and thanking Kami above that his primary element was such a badass element like wind, Naruto rose, kicking his leg out to the side a few times just to get some warmth back into it.

"Wind is so awesome."

Haku didn't even answer, her eyes locked on Naruto with a face that curiously enough showed one of utmost concentration.

Cracking his neck and giving his leg a good final shake Naruto gave Haku a questioning glance, spinning a kunai around and around on his index finger. "So then. You ready for round two?"

"It is I who should be asking you that," Haku returned, earning a perplexed look from Naruto.

"Oh? And what's that supposed to mean?"

Haku released her shoulder at this, raising both arms slowly up with her palms flat and pointing straight at Naruto. "It means you should prepare. Hyōton: Hi Bouheki (Ice Release: Protective Ice Dome)."

Nothing obvious seemed to happen at first, a simple cold brush of air across the face being felt is all, which caused Naruto to blink in bemusement at the obviously failed technique.

"Hmm…was something supposed to ha-" he began but was interrupted when the clear sound of a low crackle began to be heard all around them.

Twisting his head this way and that, darting his gaze all around him, Naruto watched in utter fascination as the air about the pair began to crystallize and harden, starting at ground level before proceeding upwards in a curving arc. So fascinated was he, only beginning to just realize the beauty that was wielded ice, that he didn't even think to try and escape the obviously entrapping technique before it was too late; the ice coming together above to finish off the ice dome that now surrounded both of them.

"Wow. That's just beautiful. But…" and here he shot a look at Haku,"You do know I can just cut my way through it like before right? You really can't keep me in here."

Haku's breath was somewhat labored after finishing off that technique for it took quite a bit of chakra to create and it took a few seconds for her to regain her previous composure. "I am aware of that."

"Then why-?"

"Why did I use it when you could easily destroy it? For one reason only."

At this remark ribbons of blue chakra began to emerge from Haku's body, surrounding her before expanding out into the air around her. Raising both hands together, she formed a single hand sign, the ribbons doubling in size as she forced more of her chakra into the technique. "To keep you contained in one spot long enough for this."

Naruto stiffened when he felt the immediate drop in temperature around him, his body shivering almost immediately so cold was it getting. Suddenly the sound of crackling was heard again and turning his head, he saw his own reflection staring back at him from the mirror that was behind him. This mirror wasn't the only one, however, and they quickly multiplied, forming a secondary dome about the blonde.

"I am sorry for having to use this, but when confronted with someone as fast as you, one must surpass it with even greater speed." Saying her part, Haku walked into one of her mirrors, her masked image appearing in all twenty-one of the mirrors surrounding Naruto. "Hijutsu: Makyou Hyoushou (Secret Technique: Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors) complete."

 _-With Rina-_

Rina had watched on from the sidelines, observing her brother's fight. To her, it didn't seem like he was really trying at all in this fight and she began to wonder about his intentions.

'Why doesn't he just finish her off? He could have beaten her ages ago.'

This thought continued to run through her air up to the point where Naruto was surrounded by a translucent ice dome followed by the ice mirrors. Slightly worried for his sake she ran forward, fists held tightly at her side as she verbally reprimanded him.

"Dammit Nii-san! What the hell are you doing?! Beat her already!" She then thought over something. "But don't kill her!"

 _-With Naruto-_

Naruto grimaced when he heard his sister shrieking at him. Wiggling a finger in his ear he turned around and gave Rina an annoyed look. "Oi! Shut it. I'll take as long as I want, you damn squirt."

This remark seemed to irritate Rina, causing her face to turn a dark, angry red, a color that suited her hair quite nicely in Naruto's opinion making him grin mischievously at her.

"I'm very sorry, but I believe it's time we finish this fight," came the sudden interruption of Haku, her voice seeming to echo around Naruto to prevent him from locating the real her among the many copies in the mirrors.

"Yeah. Guess you're right. Rina'll have my head if I don't hurry this up," Naruto responded in kind, staring every which way. "Though that's gonna be a little hard seeing as I don't exactly know where you are."

"That is one of the many perks of this technique. Now prepare, Yellow Wraith, for I'm about to show you what speed really means." At this all the Haku's in their respective mirrors drew their senbons, looking about ready to attack.

"You know. I really wish people would just stop saying that to me. It's such a cliché at this point. Got anything original?"

Haku responded to him by throwing a senbon at him, the weapon moving so fast that the direction it came from was indiscernible, creating a small tear on Naruto's shirt.

Blinking at the new tear to his clothing, Naruto scowled up at one of the mirrors.

"Hey! I really like this shirt!"

In response he felt a sting as a senbon buried itself in his shoulder. Whipping around and trying to figure out where it had come from he was struck a third time, right in the thigh.

"Dammit stop that! It's annoying!" Naruto bellowed out and in answer was struck twice more.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that. Please give in now and I shall make this as painless as possible."

Naruto growled and picking out the metal needles from his body flung each of them at a separate mirror in the hopes of actually hitting the right Haku. However just as he had expected, each simply bounced off the mirrors, falling to the grass below.

"Why do you fight back? Can you not see there is no victory for you?"

"Oh you'd like to think that wouldn't you?" Naruto shot back, earning a senbon to the calf in rebuttal. Grimacing Naruto thought over the technique in front of him. 'It's impossible for her to be in all of the mirrors at once. Those reflections must be just illusions and she's switching between mirrors. If that's the case then…which one is she actually in?'

Glancing at each mirror, Naruto couldn't detect any differences between them, all looking flawless and matching perfectly with the next. 'Time to go with Plan B'.

Charging chakra into his sandals once again, this time giving them the maximum amount so he could hit his top speed, Naruto peered around one last time at the mirrors surrounding him. Giving them all a good hard look he suddenly just disappeared from sight; disappeared to everyone except Haku that is.

For Haku, Makyou Hyoushou allowed her to move at speeds near light speed, flinging herself from one mirror to the next so fast that it made everything outside of those mirrors seem much slower than they actually were. Because of this, she was able to see Naruto charging forward at the mirror beside the one she was in, his arm cranked back before smashing his fist right into the mirror, the surface shattering under the brutal strength behind that single punch.

'Hmm not that one. Let's try…this one!' and Naruto did just that for, not being able to detect which mirror Haku was in, he just went back to his norm of destroying things with brute force, indiscriminately targeting a mirror and in turn smashing it apart with chakra infused punches.

"Come out come out wherever you are!" Naruto shouted out, destroying yet another mirror in his path, an almost giddy expression on his face as he did so.

 _-With Rina-_

Just like Zabuza, Rina never saw Naruto actually strike the ice mirrors. To her, one-second the mirror was there and fully intact and then the next it was not, the surface exploding out from being hit by something. It was a sight to see, mirrors shattering one after another with Rina only being able to imagine how it must feel for Haku knowing that her trump card wasn't going to work against her big brother.

'Come on Nii-san. Show her who's boss!' she mentally cheered, rooting as always for her older brother.

 _-With Haku-_

Haku could do nothing but watch as her mirrors were pummeled before her very eyes. What could she do to stop him? What could anyone actually do to stop this juggernaut of a ninja? He had speed. He had power. How was anyone able to combat that? Surely not her. Keeping the mirrors up for so long was draining her and the more time that passed, the less chakra she was left with. This was her ultimate technique and he was making it look like some kind of joke.

However, she also knew that if she didn't try anything she would be found out eventually and all her attempts at defending Zabuza would be for not. She would have failed Zabuza when this happened. No. She couldn't let that happen. Not while she had the ability to try and prevent it.

Because of this she did the only thing she could think of, throwing as many senbons at Naruto that she possibly could, desperately hoping for at least one good hit that would stop him in his tracks. It was a desperate ploy and she knew it, but in the end it was all she had left to work with, especially with her chakra reserves so low.

 _-With Naruto-_

Naruto had just finished up with completely obliterating his tenth mirror when he finally saw some retaliation from Haku in the form of numerous senbons flying at him. Before he might have not been able to see those accursed needles. Now, however, with his seals activated, he could oh so easily see them and dodged them effortlessly because of it.

Dodging the incoming projectiles, Naruto continued to move onto each mirror, smashing each up before moving onto the next. It was after the fifteenth mirror that he finally saw something that caught his eye, a dark streak rapidly coming out of one mirror and diving into the one across from it.

'Gotcha!' he mentally yelled and immediately spinning about on the balls of his feet, he threw himself at the mirror the shadow had disappeared into, his fist cocked back to deliver the final shot.

Just as he was about to blow that mirror to smithereens, his fist just inches away from crashing into it, the shadow reemerged from within, ducking to his left in order to evade the blow.

'Oh she thinks she's getting away does she?'

Haku indeed thought she had narrowly escaped, hoping Naruto hadn't seen her leave the mirror. However, she was sorely mistaken in that regard.

Right as she passed to his left Naruto retracted his right fist, just as he had planned to do from the start, and instead sent his left fist flying forward, delivering an all powerful, bone jarring punch that smashed directly into Haku's gut. "Dattebayo!"

For just a moment time stood stock still, Haku face showing an all too readable expression of surprise as she felt Naruto's knuckles dig deeper and deeper into her stomach, spittle flying from her gaping mouth in a silent scream. Then all too quickly time resumed and with the power behind that punch Haku's body could only fly backwards, tearing completely through her mirror and then her ice dome again after that, the techniques dissipating quickly. Once through these Haku's body flew further through the air, rocketing backwards until it was abruptly stopped by the rock hard surface that was the side of the house, cracks visibly forming along the stony wall from the impact.

Naruto relaxed, knowing the fight was all but over. Not even paying Zabuza any attention Naruto walked over to Haku, standing over her now slumped over form, her breathing barely discernable. However, the constantly blinking eyes showed she was indeed still conscious.

"You put up one hell of a fight there, Haku," Naruto started, crouching down to get closer to the girl he had just completely manhandled.

Haku struggled to lift her head, staring into Naruto's sky blue eyes as she spoke. "Kill me…"

"What?"

"I said…kill me. I've failed Zabuza-sama."

Naruto gave her a confused look. "Yeah and?"

"I don't deserve to live. I swore to protect Zabuza-sama and have failed to do so. My life is forfeit now," Haku responded, her body shaking from her injuries.

Naruto's eyes grew cold hearing that, a scowl coming to his lips which Haku read as him angry, confusing her greatly. "You think your life forfeit? Just because you lost?"

"Hai."

That reply seemed to spark something deep in Naruto. With his eyes forming slits and his body straightening to its full height Naruto loomed over Haku, arms crossed. "Would you like to hear what I have to say to that?"

Haku seemed to hesitate, but when she saw the look in Naruto's eyes she showed her assent.

"I'm not going to kill you."

"Why…?" Haku asked almost immediately, ducking her head, her hair falling down and hiding her face.

"Because you of all people don't deserve such a fate."

Haku didn't reply, unsure of what he meant by that and Naruto continued on with his explanation.

"Do you know what bravery is, Haku?"

"Bravery?"

"Hai. Bravery. Tell me what you think when you hear that."

It took a moment for Haku to come up with an answer. "It is the strength to go up against something truly frightening and to not shirk away even when facing certain death. It is to be courageous when all hope seems to be lost."

"True true. You're right there, but you're also forgetting something very important. Well…three things actually."

Haku blinked.

Naruto smiled down and held up four fingers. "Courage. Loyalty. Devotion. Love. A person must possess all of these attributes to truly be brave. Without any of these four parts the whole is incomplete." Here Naruto sighed and again crouched down in front of Haku. "Haku, you truly possess bravery. That I have no doubt."

Haku's breath hitched, but Naruto saw the doubt in her deep brown eyes.

"You don't believe me?"

Haku bit her lip and looked off to the side, refusing to meet his gaze. "I…well…"

"Tell me if anything I say is wrong. You've faced me, an S-rank ninja, twice. Once to rescue Zabuza from me a few days ago and again today. Twice you have known that the odds weren't in your favor yet you faced me even still. You could have easily run off; left Zabuza behind, but you didn't. Why? Because of your loyalty, your devotion, and your love for him. Facing me truly shows that you have courage aplenty so yes, Haku, when I say you have bravery I truly mean it."

Naruto knew he was gaining ground as he saw Haku shifting about before him, the doubt leaving her eyes. Knowing this he continued.

"Self-sacrifice is all well and good, but only if you never give up that drive to live, to truly fight until you have no breath left to give. What I just saw from you was complete surrender. I saw you forfeiting your life and giving up. And I have to ask. Why? You have so much to live for."

"I am nothing without Zabuza-sama. He has been what I have lived for for so many years. I have nothing but him in my life."

"Then why not continue to fight? People like us are always willing to fight for those we care about without giving a damn about ourselves. Yet we must never forget that we are just as important as our precious people. That is why we must fight. Fight not for just yourself, but for Zabuza. Show me that bravery I know you have. Show me that drive to live for both yourself and him.

Haku stared down at the ground, her eyes losing focus and giving all the appearance that she was mulling over Naruto's words.

Naruto watched on quietly, giving her all the time needed to come to her own conclusions. When at last she regained focus and once more turned her gaze upon him, Naruto raised a brow in question. "Well?"

Haku didn't immediately speak, staring at Naruto closely. Then slowly, ever so slowly, her head came down in a faint nod. "You are correct."

Naruto didn't show any reaction to the obvious, wondering what she would say next. "Then what will you do? Grovel here in front of me? Give up again? What will you do, Haku? Tell me."

Haku's body stiffened, her gaze once more locking with Naruto's as she spoke and began to try and struggle to her feet. "I will fight. Fight to the very end."

'Good. There's that spirit I wanted to see from her'

Releasing his somewhat grim expression and instead giving Haku a big, cheeky grin Naruto nodded in acceptance. "That's what I like to hear. Now then you rest up. We've got a lot to do tomorrow if everything goes according to plan."

"Rest? Plan? What do you me-?" and it was at this point that Naruto rose quickly, the side of his palm coming down to hit the back of Haku's neck, knocking her out cold and giving the girl a much needed rest bit.

Turning to face Zabuza, his eyes once again assuming a dark shade of blue akin to cobalt that expressed his seriousness, Naruto simply said, "We need to talk."

XxX

 _-Hours Later-_

Haku's eyes opened slowly, cracking open as she drew back into consciousness. Turning her head, she stared out the window to her right, seeing the sunlight hazily shining through. 'It must be near sunset…' Haku tiredly thought, not being able to recall anything.

Then, as if she was receiving another one of Naruto's punches, her eyes widened in alarm and she sat up sharply, her back rigid while a dull ache resonated throughout her entire body. Wincing she pressed a hand to her stomach and was surprised to feel bandages there, wrapped tightly around her abdomen. Investigating further, she was even more surprised to note that she was actually covered in bandages all over, not just her stomach, and while she could not feel any wounds beneath them she could definitely feel the throbbing originating from them.

"Oh you're awake. That's good," came a voice from the side and Haku cranked her head around, staring at the lone figure of Rina sitting on the floor, her back pressed up against the opposite wall.

Haku made to speak but only a raspy croak came out. Clearing her throat and trying again she asked, "Where is Zabuza-sama?"

Rina gave Haku a blank stare, her eyes cold and distance. "He's talking with my brother in the other room."

Hearing this Haku made to rise, but hissed in pain and was forced to lie back down when the pain radiating through her body doubled. Staring up at the ceiling she asked. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"Ten hours."

"Why am I not dead? I expected the Yellow Wraith to kill me and then Zabuza-sama after."

Rina didn't even blink, her lips set in a firm line. "Because he didn't want to kill you. He never wanted to kill either of you. If you'd realized that sooner you wouldn't be laying there all injured."

Finally taking notice of the coldness behind Rina's words Haku stared straight at Rina. "You're mad at me. Aren't you?"

"Nooooo. What gave that away?" Rina answered sarcastically, rolling her eyes in the process.

"I did what I had to do. You must understand that. Zabuza-sama is all I have left in this world. I had to try and gather information that would help him survive."

Rina scoffed, banging her fist into the wood floor to emphasize her growing frustration. "I'm not even mad about that anymore, Haku. I understand that. What I don't understand is why you'd give up your life so easily!"

Haku winced from the shout, turning back to stare up at the high ceiling above. "You told me when we first met that you had people to protect. People precious to you. Tell me. Would you give up your own life just to save the life of one of those precious individuals? If it was a choice between yourself or them, could you possibly even think about saving yourself and leaving them to die?"

Rina's face remained hard for moments after, staring at the floor as she thought over what Haku had said. Then slowly she relaxed, her face smoothing over. "I could never do that to them."

"Then why do you criticize me for doing what I did?"

Rina's eyes snapped up at that, a small growl reverberating from deep within her throat. "Because. None of my precious people would want me to do that. Just as I would sacrifice myself for them, they would sacrifice themselves for me." Rina then hit the floor a second time, earning her a dull thud in reply. "The difference between you and me is that I have someone that would give themselves up for my sake. Would Zabuza do that for you? Tell me honestly. Do you think he would, Haku?"

Closing her eyes Haku thought over that, over her many years following Zabuza. She thought over the countless sessions of training, of running away from the enemy, of stealing food from those with enough to give up and still be all right. She thought of all this and yet, deep down, she could not envision Zabuza giving himself up for her sake. She desperately wanted that to not be so, but that small voice inside her told her that there was no way. He had never showed he cared. Never once had he smiled at her. And yet still, Haku knew she would follow him until she died. She was indebted to him that much for what he had done for her so even if he held no regard for her, she would still follow and protect him; to her last breath.

Seeing she was not going to receive a reply for her question Rina stood, slowly moving over to Haku's prone form and sitting beside her, her face looking conflicted. "Can't you understand, Haku? I'm not mad at you. I'm mad for you."

Haku gave Rina a questioning look, peering up into her violet hued eyes, "Mad? For me?"

Nodding Rina reached forward, taking Haku's cool hands into her own. "Duh. I can understand why you've done everything you've done. I can understand and forgive. I'm just…," and Rina's fingers tightened around Haku's, "Mad that you're willing to die so easily for someone like Zabuza. It just isn't fair for you to-" and Rina small rant was stopped when she felt Haku tighten her own fingers, forcing Rina from saying another word on that matter.

"Thank you, Rina-san."

"For what?" Rina asked with a puzzled look.

"Thank you for caring about me. I think…you are the first to do so since my mother was killed. You're right. I don't know if Zabuza truly cares about me, but that doesn't matter. All that matters is that I care for him. That is enough for me."

Rina sighed in slight irritation at hearing that, but her lips curved up into a small smile right after. "It's Rina-chan."

"Pardon?"

"It's Rina-chan. Call me Rina-chan. I really hate formalities."

Haku blinked before a warm smile came to her own lips. "Very well…Rina-chan."

Rina gave Haku a warm, happy smile. It was here that Rina cocked her head to the side, listening intently for something. "I think my brother finished up talking with Zabuza. I can't hear them anymore."

"What were he and Zabuza-sama discussing?" Haku of course asked, still partially worried for Zabuza's sake.

Rina grinned down, "Just some negotiations."

"Negotiations for what?"

"Negotiations…" came a voice from the other side of the room and both girls turned their heads around to stare at the form of Naruto, leaning up against the wooden frame of the door, a smirk set on his face as he stared back in turn, "For an alliance of sorts between our two groups."

"An alliance?" Haku immediately asked, her face showing surprise at the prospect.

"Yup. We're working together now."

"As long as you hold up your end of the bargain, Namikaze," came the warning from behind Naruto as Zabuza stepped up, offering his classic glare to Naruto who simply waved his hand dismissively.

"Please. You and I both know this is the best option for either of us."

'Zabuza-sama actually made an alliance with the Yellow Wraith?' Haku thought, astounded at the news.

Zabuza snorted and pushed passed Naruto, deliberately shoving his way in just to make himself appear the same badass, ruthless ninja everyone put him out to be. Walking over to Haku he stared down, assessing the injuries he could see. "You good Haku?" he asked simply.

Haku in answer rose slowly, propping herself up on her hands so that she could lean her back up against the wall. "Of course, Zabuza-sama. I'm ready to do whatever you wish of me."

Giving her a long, thoughtful look Zabuza then turned around and proceeded out the door, giving a final, "Namikaze, make sure she's healed. Can't have her slacking off during all the fun tomorrow can we?" and with that he was gone, leaving the two siblings and Haku alone in the room.

Naruto gave the direction Zabuza had disappeared off to an indignant look. "Who died and made him the boss? If anything I should be the boss dammit."

"You're too weird and thickheaded to be the boss, Nii-san," Rina spoke up, earning her a look of betrayal from her brother.

Crossing an arm over his eyes Naruto bemoaned his fate to Kami above. "Why oh why am I forced to endure the scorn and jealousy of so many? It truly isn't fair."

"Yeahhh….well when you're done pitying yourself could you check Haku for me?" Rina replied, barely paying any mind to Naruto's comical show.

Grumbling about inconsiderate sisters Naruto dropped his act and moved over to Haku who seeing him approach, pushed herself a bit further away from him. Taking note of the reaction Naruto stopped just a short distance away from her, his hands raised in placation. "Relax, Haku. I didn't want to hurt you this morning and I definitely don't want to hurt you now."

Haku warily stared at Naruto before glancing over at Rina who, wanting to reassure the girl, nodded her head encouragingly. Slowly Haku relaxed and seeing this Naruto stepped up to examine the wounds he himself had inflicted upon her.

After a thorough examination and seeing nothing wrong Naruto bandaged her up again and stepped back, smiling down at the girl. "Well I can't see anything wrong. You should be good to go by tomorrow." Here Naruto placed a hand behind his head, giving her a rather embarrassed look. "I'm actually pretty glad I didn't hurt you that much."

For a moment Haku didn't respond, perplexed at how different this Naruto was to the one she had fought just hours ago. However, she could see the sincerity behind his words and shook her head. "It's understandable. Although…what is the importance about tomorrow? You all keep referring to tomorrow and fun, but have yet to inform me of what's happening."

"Huh? Oh you don't know? Well…" and Naruto leaned back against a wall, his arms crossing over his chest. Deciding to get right to the point he said, "We're all teaming up against Gato."

"Against Gato?"

Hopping up onto the end of Haku's bed Rina bobbed her head in confirmation. "Mhm. You, me, Zabuza, my brother, and the rest of our team are going to fight Gato tomorrow."

Haku couldn't believe what she was hearing. Zabuza, who had told her that they would carry this mission out for Gato to the end, was now siding with the Yellow Wraith? What on earth had changed his mind so drastically?

"I am…surprised," Haku finally managed, staring down at the bed covers with a mixture of embarrassment and shame.

"Oh you mean about how you guys were supposed to kill us tomorrow and all that?" Naruto raised, tapping the side of his temple with a finger, "Yes we know all about that. But now we all get to fight some thugs that actually deserve a good thrashing. Don't we?"

"Of course," and Haku didn't even pause to raise her next question. "Might I know the full plan now? It would be best for me to prepare for whatever my role might be tomorrow."

Naruto hummed thoughtfully. "True. All right well do you know the ninja Gato has hired besides you two?"

"I do."

"That makes it easier then. Well here's what Zabuza and I came up with while you were having a little nap. It's pretty simple really. We all pretend to fight on the bridge tomorrow and wait for Gato to arrive. I know for certain he'll be coming and don't ask me how, I'll explain that later. Now when he does show up I'll take Guri the so-called Speed Demon and Zabuza will get Haori. I'll leave the twins to you, Rina, and Sasuke while Shino deals with the mob that will accompany Gato with long ranged attacks."

Haku turned towards Rina. "We'll be fighting together then it seems."

Rina grinned back. "Oh yeah. I can't wait."

"Anyways I'd also like it if we could try and get the fighting as far away from the bridge as possible. Can't have it being destroyed from all the fighting and all," Naruto put in matter of factly.

Looking back at Naruto, Haku bowed her head. "Of course. I will try my best to achieve that."

"Great!" and Naruto clapped his hands together, pushing himself off the wall and making for the door. "Now we better let you rest up. We've got a big day tomorrow and I still need to inform the rest of my team." Here he peered back at his sister. "You coming Rina?"

"Yeah yeah right behind you Nii-san!" Rina returned and rising from the bed gave Haku a wave. "See you tomorrow Haku-chan. Let's kick some ass okay?"

Receiving a smile and a nod of Haku's head in answer Rina released a small laugh in her giddiness and skipped off after her brother, leaving behind a still somewhat perplexed Haku.

Haku would stay awake for an hour after the siblings had left, thinking over the sudden events of the day. That very morning she was prepared to do battle with those two and their comrades, and now they were all teaming up against Gato? It was hard to believe; yet Haku felt some relief in the knowledge they would no longer be working for that vile man.

With her heart feeling lighter than it had in a while Haku shifted onto her side and closed her eyes, knowing she would need as much rest as possible before the next day; her last thoughts being that of Rina and how she had truly made a new and caring friend with the cheery redhead.

XxX

 _-Later that Night at Tazuna's house-_

"Are you sure we can trust them?" came Sasuke's voice later that night as all of Team 7 as well as Tazuna and his family sat around the kitchen table eating their dinner. Sasuke was skeptical and it clearly showed.

"Of course we can. I know for a fact both of them hate working for Gato. Also, I gave Zabuza an offer he just couldn't refuse," Naruto answered, placing his bowl down after finishing his meal.

"What did you offer, Naruto-sensei?" Shino queried emotionlessly as always.

Naruto smirked, tapping his nose secretly. "That's for me and Zabuza to know. Adult business and all."

Having heard the entire exchange through the thin walls of the house Rina sat quietly, not speaking up; something the two boys took clear notice of.

"Oi Rina. You know what he offered Zabuza don't you?" Sasuke asked thinking she did.

"Well uh…" Rina started, but was interrupted when Sasuke leaned in close, almost conspiratorially.

"Tell us."

Rina was conflicted. On one hand she did want to tell them, but on the other she had promised her brother she wouldn't speak about it until after tomorrow. "I can't…"

Hearing this Sasuke snorted, rising from his seat and making for the stairs without even putting away his dishes. "I'm going to bed. One of us needs to stay sharp tomorrow so the rest don't die."

Rina growled at the cockiness of the boy and raised her voice in reply. "Night night Duck-Butt! Sweet dreams."

Sasuke stumbled on the first step up the stairs and growling out a reply too low for any of them to hear proceeded up to the second floor and their room, all the while hearing the laughter that followed from down below.

After the laughter had died down Naruto rose himself, taking both his and Sasuke's empty dishes to the sink. "With that said we should all get some shuteye. We've got a big day tomorrow."

Hearing this both remaining Genin nodded their agreement and saying their goodnights followed after Sasuke, leaving only Tazuna, his family, and Naruto left.

When Tazuna saw Naruto making towards the front door to the house he questioned the man, "You're not going to bed, Naruto-san?"

Waving a hand at that Naruto stopped at the door, his other hand on the knob. "Oh I will. I just need to take care of something first. You all relax and get some sleep. I won't be long." With that said Naruto disappeared out the door, leaving behind the curious family but in whom shrugged it off and went to the respective rooms, all wondering what would come the following day.

XxX

 _-The Next Morning-_

Team 7 was up early the next day. To Naruto, his three Genin looked fully rested and more alert than he had ever seen them before. However, it was only natural for them to be wary of what happened today because, excluding the first confrontation between them and Zabuza, this would be their first major life-or-death situation where they would be relied upon to handle the enemy themselves without any help from him.

Knowing that they had a schedule to keep if all was supposed to go according to plan Naruto didn't waste any time once his team looked ready. Signaling for them to assume a diamond formation, he abruptly took off up into the nearest tree, assuming point with the rest of his team quickly following after him.

No one spoke a word; all of them too focused on the battle that would shortly come to pass. Darting from tree to tree with the only sounds being that of the ever constant thuds when feet met hard tree branch and the sounds of the early morning birds, Team 7 moved quickly towards their destination.

Upon arriving they were met by the sight of Zabuza and Haku standing side by side near the edge of the unfinished portion of the bridge, both looking serious and ready for anything.

Moving just ahead of his three students, Naruto stood just a distance away from the pair, a grim smile finding his lips. "You guys ready for this?"

Zabuza snorted in derision. "I should be asking you that, Namikaze. You can bet for sure I'll handle my side of things.

The three Genin stood back watching the exchange, Sasuke still feeling some uneasiness and suspicion concerning the two new allies. He was prepared for anything and had made sure to be ready for a possible betrayal. 'Naruto and Rina might trust them, but I don't.'

"Well guess that settles it then," and Naruto assumed a fighting pose with a kunai in hand, "What do you say? Wanna have a little warm up match just to get the blood flowing, Zabuza?"

While no one could see it behind the mask Zabuza grinned, thoroughly pleased with the offer. Grabbing up his sword from his back and swinging it down Zabuza stared at Naruto intently. "You sure? I won't be holding back just because it's a warm up you know? I wouldn't want to hurt that pretty little face of yours with some real fighting."

Naruto smirked back. "Oh yeah? Well I doubt you'll manage to get even a single scratch on my pretty little face then."

"We'll see about that. But first things first," and Zabuza stabbed his sword down, burying it a full foot into the bridge. Flashing through hand signs he said, " _Ninpou: Kirigakure no Jutsu_ (Ninja Art: Hiding in Mist Technique)," and around the group there came a thick cloud of mist, covering up the area so that no one on the outside could see what was going on within.

"Now then. What was that about me not getting a scratch on you, Namikaze?!" Zabuza then demanded, yanking his sword free before charging forward.

Grinning Naruto lunged forward as well, kunai swiping out to block the edge of the dangerous weapon Zabuza wielded. Ripping his hand to the side and with it the sword, Naruto slashed back down immediately after, relying on the sword's weight to inhibit Zabuza from raising it to block in time.

However, Naruto hadn't counted on the years of experience Zabuza had with the blade and was somewhat surprised when his attack was blocked, kunai sliding noisily across the flat edge of the sword. Gritting his teeth, his face just inches away from Zabuza's with their deadlock Naruto muttered between the space, "You're pretty fast with that oversized butcher knife."

"You haven't seen anything yet," Zabuza shot back and pushing forward, broke the deadlock only to charge forward again, slashing and thrusting to try and get at Naruto.

Dodging this way and that, his kunai coming up to block potentially harmful strikes Naruto evaded the oncoming attempts easily, using his well-known speed to his advantage.

This process continued for many minutes after, both shifting between offense and defense, neither taking what they couldn't give back the next time around. They were both warriors, both fighters eager for the next fight and understanding that they were similar in this regard, neither held back, wanting to experience the full thrill of the fight.

While this was going on Sasuke kept his gaze firmly locked on Haku's back, watching for any funny business from her; a kunai held tightly in his grip just in case.

Shino watched on, analyzing the fight carefully and putting to memory possible moves he might himself replicate. While he had no hopes of doing so in the near future with his current skill level, one never knew what later on might be helpful in a sticky situation.

Rina was as always in awe at the sheer speed and power her brother held. His movements were flawless, no moment wasted through it all. It was truly impressive to the girl and she wondered if she would be able to move like him one day; desperately wishing for the possibility to look so graceful yet hold so much power.

For Haku the sight of Zabuza completely immersing himself in the fight was uplifting to the say the least. Ever since she had met him he had fought and killed countless ninja and yet had never shown one ounce of enjoyment in doing so. But now, fighting with the Yellow Wraith, she finally saw the clear passion that had been suppressed for so long. A smile came to her then, her eyes showing the happiness that she felt knowing that Zabuza had finally found someone that could match him in skill.

Back with the fight, Naruto could be seen ducking beneath a high slash courtesy of Zabuza, narrowly avoiding having his head cleaved from his body. Wanting to return the favor for such a vicious attack Naruto didn't waste a beat in propelling himself forward, adding chakra to his legs to increase the power of his lunge, kunai aimed for Zabuza's gut.

Seeing Naruto's approach and the gap closing fast Zabuza had only a small window to react. Going with his sword, letting it control his momentum rather he it, Zabuza was pulled to the side, narrowly avoiding Naruto's thrust by centimeters. Hesitating not in the slightest Zabuza then stabbed his sword back into the bridge while hanging in mid-air, gripping the handle with both hands before swinging about it, his booted foot kicking out in the general location of Naruto's face.

Raising an arm up to block the kick wrist met foot, Naruto holding Zabuza back who for his part was smirking back at the blonde having narrowly missed hitting Naruto. "Almost got you."

Snapping out his free hand and grabbing a hold of Zabuza's ankle, his grip like iron as his fingers locked around the leg, Naruto couldn't help but smirk back in return.

"Not good enough!"

Spinning and releasing a grunt of exertion Naruto unceremoniously flung the man away, watching him fly away only to land in a crouched posture a short distance away looking none the worse with sword in hand. "You'll have to be faster than that to hit me."

Zabuza was about to respond both verbally and physically when both men stiffened, sensing the approach of a massive group of people. Knowing exactly who it was both gave the other a look and Naruto signaled the others to get ready.

Slowly shapes emerged from the thick around the group mist, the figures indefinable at first, but clearer as they drew near. There just one hundred feet away from both Naruto and Zabuza stood Gato, cane in hand with a condescending smirk adorning his features.

Standing on either side of him were the twins, Watasho Joku and Watosho Rista as well as Yagusaki Haori, a massive crowd of ruffians and thugs just behind them.

The twins were identical on all almost all accounts. Both were on the shorter side with a fair complexion; their forms relatively thin, but fit with Rista showing the obvious signs of being female. The defining factor that allowed an observer to distinguish between the two were their choice of hairstyle. Rista preferred her black locks tied back in a short ponytail while Joku enjoyed having his hair free and flowing down to his shoulders.

Haori was a big man with broad shoulders. On his face there was a bit of facial hair, but only beneath his lips with a thin scar crossing over his right eye. His body was tanned and heavily muscled, arms massive with no sign of any body fat across his huge frame. What caught the attention of all looking on him, however, was the air of superiority and supercilious that he radiated, making the observer think that he was extremely confident in his skills.

Giving a disdainful look in Zabuza's direction Gato spoke. "Well well isn't this interesting. Are the big, bad Konoha ninja too much for the almighty Zabuza to handle huh? Maybe I should have left them to more qualified ninja."

Zabuza visibly seethed in anger at that comment, the grip on his sword tightening at being made a mockery of, especially in front of so many worthless people. However, he managed to keep cool enough to ask, "What's the meaning of this Gato?" He wanted know if Naruto's claims were true.

Gato was about to respond when out of the blue Haori stepped forward, his muscles flexed and on display with a sneer aimed towards Zabuza. "You really must be dumber than what we gave you out to be. Can't you see? We're here to kill you and this little Konoha group. We'll do what you couldn't. You won't be leaving this bridge alive, Zabuza."

Yup. Naruto had been telling the truth all right.

"What?" Zabuza asked, taking a step towards the group with a menacing look to his face.

Seeing this Gato somewhat stumbled back in fear, hiding his small, chubby form behind that of the twins and Haori. "That's right. You're too expensive for my tastes so I'm taking you off the payroll. For good."

"Why you…" and Zabuza looked ready to charge the insolent fool then and there.

Feeling confident in his position Gato paid no mind to Zabuza after that, instead shifting his gaze towards Naruto. "You, yellow ninja or whatever. Where's Tazuna?"

Naruto hummed nonchalantly, gripping his chin thoughtfully between two fingers. "Tazuna? Who's that?"

"Don't play dumb with me brat! You know exactly who I'm talking about!"

"Ooooh you mean our Tazuna? Well why didn't you say so? He's safe at home with the rest of his family of course. Thanks for asking."

Gato took on a malicious grin at hearing this.

Seeing this Naruto couldn't help but grin back, drawing a baffled look from Gato. "Seeing as you seem so worried about him, however, I can assure you he's possibly in the safest place in this whole country. I made sure nothing could possibly get to him." Naruto took great pleasure in seeing Gato's look of confidence deflate at hearing that and even more pleasure when his face began to turn a bright red in his agitation.

"What the hell did you do, brat?!"

Naruto whistled at the reaction, rather pleased with himself for getting Gato all flustered and blustered. "Oh you know, just placed a seal or two around his house. Nothing too fancy or anything, but good enough to keep people like your two little samurai out."

Gato seethed at hearing that, his plan falling apart right before his very eyes. Fists clenched at his sides with his face now taking on a more crimson color from a mixture of sheer frustration and anger he pointed a thick finger at Naruto, demanding out loudly, "How the hell did you know about that?! There's no way you should know that!"

"You should be more careful about what you say. Even the walls have ears."

'Although where the hell is Guri…?'

Gato sneered at Naruto, his disgust for ninja at an all time high. How he hated ninja! With their weird abilities and being cocky all the time! Damn them! Damn them all! However, he would have the last laugh. Oh yes he would. Glancing at Haori and giving a small nod of his head Gato waited for the fun to begin.

Haori withdrew a kunai with an explosive note attached to its end, making the opposition immediately assume battle postures, all prepared for the fight to begin. Offering them a contemptuous smirk he then flung the kunai at Zabuza and Naruto, the kunai flying speedily through the air.

Both ninja of course easily dodged the obvious attack, jumping to the side just as the kunai made contact with the bridge and immediately exploded. The weird part about the attack that both took notice of, however, was that rather than attacking them then and there both the twins and Haori just stood back, watching the pair dodge.

'What was the point of that?' Naruto mentally questioned himself, eyeing Gato's group with calculating eyes as he landed back down. Flicking his attention towards Zabuza he saw the same contemplative look on the man's face, he too wondering what the point of that attack was.

Haku was watching on from the sideline, a senbon in each hand as she readied to go into combat. She would not fail Zabuza, her eyes focused intently on the twins who had yet to make a move to attack. This confused the girl greatly. Why use an explosive kunai like that and not attack? Something was up.

It was here that Haku sensed something coming in fast from behind. Peering behind her she narrowed he gaze, her attention fixed as she stared curiously through the thick mist that enveloped their section of the bridge. What was it? It wasn't as fast as Naruto or her with her mirrors, yet it sure was coming at them near that speed. Haku stood there, waiting and ready, trying at the same time to figure out what it could be.

She didn't have long to wait. Standing there waiting, with a senbon prepared and positioned in front of her, that particular something suddenly made its presence known, time holding still for a moment as both she and it stared back at one another as it passed. Haku's eyes slowly widened in realization, the other's showing the glee it was feeling in that moment. Then all too suddenly it was gone, shooting passed her and heading straight towards…

'No!' Haku mentally shouted. Reacting faster than she had ever done so before she created one of mirrors out in front of her, leaping into it with the sole purpose of trying to intercept it before it got to…

Naruto had been busy staring down Haori, the massive man glaring back at the blonde in the same regard, the eagerness to fight showing clearly in his black eyes. However, Naruto broke the deadlock stare when he suddenly sensed an approach from behind. Flicking his gaze curiously back, his mind immediately jumping to the possibility of Haku using her mirrors to try and surprise attack Gato's hired help, he was unprepared when he sensed an additional approach, this one speeding towards them even faster than the first. His eyes widening in alarm as he finally realized what was happening Naruto whipped his head around, flooding his sandals with chakra in activation, immediately sprinting forward, his mind wondering in that single second of time if he would have enough time to reach…

It all happened so fast after that.

Zabuza couldn't comprehend what happened next. One second he was turning to see why Naruto was moving behind him, and then the next he was feeling an explosion of pain ripping through his body.

Blood splattered onto the ground.

Kouki Guri stood there in all his wicked splendor, exhibiting a triumphant sneer. He had a lean, tall form with wildly unkempt blonde hair with a narrow face that showed his close to insane personality. Endowed from head to head in a skintight blue suit with pouches on his chest rather than his hips for easy reach the man looked the part of a trained and eager killer. However, no one really noticed this; all eyed focused one thing and one thing only.

"Haku-chan!" came Rina's desperate scream, her voice carrying to everyone's ears through the mist, her eyes fixed in horror at the sight before her.

Haku stood in front of Zabuza, her arms upraised on either side of her in defense. Her entire body shook, blood pooling at her feet. Buried in her chest right up to the elbow was Guri's arm, the arm going through her body entirely and exiting out the back only to be stopped in Zabuza's gut.

Everyone stared at the scene in shock, none more so than Rina herself. She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't believe it.

Haku's arms slowly fell to her sides, a single cough forcing up a river of crimson blood that splattered to the ground beneath her, a few drops dripping from the tip of her chin as she stood there. With her eyes glazing over, her body numb of all pain, she turned her gaze upon Rina, a mixture of sadness and relief hitting the young redhead who just stared right back, transfixed and unable to say a word with her mouth wide open in a silent scream. They stared at one another for what felt like an eternity, Rina mentally begging over and over against what she knew had happened.

Then, ever so slowly, Haku's gaze drifted downwards. Body slumping forward, eyelids falling across her eyes, the one last fleeting thought she had before darkness overtook her was that she had truly protected Zabuza just as she had promised him those many years ago.

Releasing a howl of laughter Guri yanked his arm back viciously once he saw Haku close her eyes, blood exploding out from her body in doing so, coating the man from head to toe in crimson.

Haku's body fell face first to the ground below, the hole through her chest and out her back clear as day.

With his arm dripping with a mixture of Haku's and Zabuza's blood Guri lifted it up, his tongue whipping out to lick at it, his body shaking in perverse pleasure as he savored the taste of their blood.

"Oh that's good. So fucking good!"

Seeing all the eyes on him he laughed again, quite pleased with the outcome of the sneak attack and drawing even more pleasure from the intense looks he was receiving he leaped back to join up with his fellow ninja, his eyes filled with insanity as he stared right back at the opposite group.

Zabuza clutched his stomach, trying to staunch the blood that was flooding out of the horrific wound he had received. Eyes falling onto the prone form of Haku, he scowled and simply turned away to gaze hatefully at Gato once more.

Rina's arm gradually rose, her hand shaking as she began to walk slowly towards Haku's unmoving body, not believing the sight. Haku was…Haku was…

"Haku-chan…?" The name came out quiet, a mere whisper, but those around her could feel Rina's grief through it all the same. This was the first time she had experienced any sort of real loss, Haku's life being taken as many had before her as a result of the cruel world shinobi lived in. Moving over to Haku's fallen form she moved to her knees, unable to look away. "Haku-chan?" she said again, hand reaching out to lightly shake her as if thinking that doing so would somehow wake the girl.

"Leave her girl. She did what she was made to do."

Rina couldn't believe what she was hearing, the horror in her eyes slowly leaving and its place came a rage that she had never felt before. It came from her very core and she focused it all upon Zabuza whose back was to her.

"How the hell can you say that? She died for you and you barely look at her?!"

"You don't understand anything, girl. The true way of the shinobi is and shall always be based on sacrifice. I used Haku like Gato used me. She was my tool. Nothing else."

Rina's body shook in fury and for a moment her pupils took on the shape of slits before returning to their normal appearance.

"Now it's over. Her usefulness is at an end. The loss of the strength and skill. Yes that means something to me. But the girl, nothing."

Rina clutched her fists hard, so hard that blood dripped from her palms where her nails bit deep into the flesh. "If you really mean that…you're even worse than I thought. Worse than Gato and worse than that ninja over there that did this to Haku!"

Zabuza peered over his shoulder at Rina whose eyes were now shedding countless tears, the girl not even making an attempt to hold them back.

"Rina…" came the soft voice of Naruto, wanting desperately to go comfort his sister, but knowing he had to keep an eye on the enemy.

"No!" and Rina shook her head furiously seeming not to hear her brother. "You're ungrateful. After everything she did for you. Haku lived for you! Can't you see you were the most important thing in the world to her?! She gave up her very life to protect you and you don't even care! She meant nothing at all to you?!"

Here Rina's voice quieted, sadness once more claiming her. "She gave up her life. And for what? For your dream? What about her dream? All she ever was to be recognized by you. For you to care for her. And you just toss her aside once she's served her purpose like some broken tool?"

Rina's choked at that, the flow of tears streaming down her cheeks now at full force. "That's just so wrong. So wrong!"

Zabuza just stood there, facing the enemy with his back towards everyone else. No one could see his face, but if one were to look closely they would see the slight shake to his body, his shoulders trembling. "You talk too much, girl…"

Startled Rina glanced up at the man and was surprised when she saw the tears falling to the ground beneath his feet. Was he…?

"Words cut deep. Deeper than any blade," Zabuza said, not even looking at anyone as he spoke. "Haku was too soft and too kind. She felt pain and sorrow and curse her cause I feel them too. I have failed to become a true shinobi, but you know what…" and he looked back at them then, his eyes red from the tears that streamed down his cheeks, "I think I can live with that."

Stunned beyond words Rina just sat there beside Haku's body, staring up at the man she had been reprimanding moments before with a small amount of awe.

Seeing this Zabuza quickly turned away, his gaze fixing on the chubby form that was Gato whilst still clutching his stomach tightly. Staring at that man, the little man that had caused this entire mess, Zabuza's hatred grew at the sight of him hiding behind his men; being the little bastard that he truly was. Just seeing that made Zabuza's blood boil.

With his body shaking in anger Zabuza grabbed up his sword. Eyes flashing in his infuriated state, furious at the loss of Haku, Zabuza stared at the puny weaklings before him, his desire to show them a true demon growing by the second.

Those watching on from behind Gato began to shake in fear, the oppressive pressure issuing from Zabuza felt keenly by all, the wind picking up and swirling around madly. Only adding to their growing terror, everyone saw the dark-hued form rising from behind Zabuza, their eyes widening in sheer terror as the aura of a demon emerged from him. Many stepped back at that, their hands shaking out of fright at the sight, the occasional 'clink' of a weapon dropping barely audible beneath the cacophony of fearful whispers heard among the compact crowd of men.

The four ninja stood their ground, watching on with eyes that indicated they held absolutely no fear for the one many called the 'Demon of the Mist.'

Fearful as the rest Gato still had a reputation to try and uphold and stepping forward just a bit while still making sure to remain behind his hired ninja he raised his fist up defiantly. "Y-You don't scare us! You are nothing! Scum! Filth! Haori, Guri, Joku, Rista, finish him already!"

Hearing this Naruto stepped up beside Zabuza, not even looking at the man as he spoke. "You think you can fight?"

"Don't patronize me, Namikaze."

Naruto continued to stare forward, his words soft so only Zabuza could hear. "I'm not patronizing. That wound is deep and you've bled out a lot. You're barely staying conscious aren't you?"

As if to support that guess Zabuza blinked, trying to fight away the fuzziness that was stealing over him as his eyesight began to darken. "Screw you. I'm fine."

"Please. We both know that's a load of crap. I give you eight minutes at most so here's the new plan. I'll take Guri and Haori and you can have Gato all to yourself. I know you want to get back at him for double-crossing you."

While he loved a good fight and hated appearing weak in front of people, Zabuza was forced to admit Naruto was right. He wouldn't last a single minute against someone like Haori in his current condition. Cursing his luck Zabuza was just about to respond when he suddenly coughed up a wad of blood, the liquid spilling forth from his mouth and drenching the gauze he had wrapped around his mouth. Growling at the inconvenience he tore the bandage strips away, revealing his shark-like teeth. Wiping the blood off his chin he turned towards Naruto, a scowl on his lips, "What are you waiting for then, Namikaze? Get the fuck out of here already.

Smirking in success Naruto looked back at his Genin.

"You better whoop their asses."

Seeing resolute nods of their heads he stepped up in front of Zabuza gaining the attention of all. Eyeing both Haori and Guri he then turned to his right, offering both a wink as he said, "Come on boys. I don't think you want your piggy bank being hurt do you? Let's take this somewhere else." From there he jumped off the side of the bridge, landing on top of the water before running across it, heading swiftly towards one of the small islands that dotted the bay nearby.

Both Haori and Guri glanced at one another, the challenge obvious to them.

"I'm so going to kill him!" Guri cried out, a crazed smile widening across his face.

"Not if I get him first," Haori responded in turn.

"H-Hey wait! You have to stay here and protect me! That's what I'm paying you for, you fools!" Gato interjected, but he immediately shied away when he saw the death glares directed at him.

"Shut the hell up! Compared to his bounty your little salary is nothing. I could live in style for centuries with that kind of money," Haori responded.

Guri scowled at the presumption and gall of the man. "As if I'd let you get that money."

"Oh?"

"Fuck yeah retard!"

"Well how 'bout we go settle this then," Haori replied, walking to the edge of the bridge.

"Now you're fucking talking! First one to kill the bastard gets all the cash!" Guri shouted back, making for the edge as well.

"Agreed."

"Then let's fucking go!" and with that Guri shot forward, leaping off the bridge at full speed. Not to be outdone Haori proceeded after him, bellowing out in amusement at the prospect that lay before him as he jumped down.

"Hey! Get back here!" Gato shot after them, his protest unanswered by the two who were too eager for a good fight to care about whatever the man said.

"This makes the fun a little more fair don't you think, Gato?" Zabuza questioned, taking a menacing step forward with his sword at the ready and an evil glint to his eyes.

Shooting the man a fearful look Gato then whipped around and pointed at the twins. "You two! Stop him! Kill him now!"

At this command Joku casually turned to his sister Rista, eyeing her questioningly. "Well? Shall we dance dear sister of mine?"

Rista seemed to feign in thinking the question over, staring between both Gato and Zabuza as if to measure up the situation. When she at last seemed to come to an answer she flashed her brother a quick smile. "Of course. I would love to."

Both exhibiting a confidence that was seen only in those experienced in battle the two took off towards Zabuza, their paths intertwining with kunai being drawn as they ran.

Cursing his condition Zabuza tiredly lifted his sword; ready to fight off the pair whether he wanted to or not.

The twins were almost upon him, tongues hanging out of their open mouths in a savage manner that showed they thought the fight already over. Yet this wasn't the case by a long shot…

Twelve kunai shot forward from behind Zabuza. Twelve kunai whipped passed the man's head on either side and intercepted the oncoming pair, thunking into the ground just short of their feet forcing them to flip backwards to avoid the attack. Just as quickly did two dark shadows fly by, propelling themselves up into the air only to come crashing together with the twins in a shower of bright sparks. The confrontation didn't last long, but did serve a purpose, the two groups snapping away from one another a moment later to land neatly back on the ground.

Rina and Sasuke now stood there, blocking off the path between twins and Zabuza. Armed with a kunai apiece they exhibited grim expressions, their eyes showing both determination and wariness while facing the twins who seemed more put off with having their kill taken away than anything else.

"What do you think you little punks are doing?" Joku asked; his posture totally relaxed in his own self-confidence.

"Stopping you of course," Rina shot back.

"Little girl? Do you even know who we are?" Rista questioned with a snooty tone to her voice.

"Yeah we do. So what?"

"Then you should know not to mess with us. Go back to playing with your dolls and leave the adult business to the adults."

Sasuke snorted. "Ever look in the mirror? You both look twelve to me."

Rista grew a tick mark at that remark, her fist snapping up to shake angrily in Sasuke's direction. "Just get out of here already kid. You're out of your league."

Sasuke arched a brow at that, his eyes narrowing marginally. "As if. Against an Uchiha you and everyone else are nothing to me."

This comment seemed to draw a pause from the twins. "Soooo…you're an Uchiha then eh?" Joku raised, his interest peaked by the prospect.

Turning to his sister he gave her an appeasing look. "Come on Nee-chan. We haven't played around in ages. Let's give the little brats what they want and kill Zabuza after."

Rista considered the request, chewing on her bottom lip. "All right, but not too long. We still have a job to do."

Joku gave his sister a wide smile and turned back to the Genin duo. "Oh you both are in for a special treat. You get to face both of us!"

Hearing this both Genin prepared, readying themselves for a fight.

It was Rista that started things off first. Flashing through hand signs and yelling out, "Suiton: Fuuma Mizu Shuriken (Water Release: Evil Windmill Water Shuriken)!" she began to furiously turn her wrists around and around. Utilizing the moisture in the air thanks to the mist and being by the sea it didn't take long for Rista's technique to be formed. Water began to quickly appear out of thin air around her waving hands, the water massing together and forming large, fuuma shaped shuriken. Once her technique was complete Rista didn't waste a beat, lobbing both shuriken straight at the two Genin.

At the same time Joku was going through his own set of hand signs and only a moment after Rista had thrown her move he reached out with an open hand, fingers spread wide. "Raiton: Hachidori no Mure no Jutsu (Lighting Release: Swarm of Hummingbirds Technique)." From his fingertips shot forth bolts of white lightning, the bolts swiftly turning into small hummingbirds as they sped towards the Genin alongside his sister's shuriken.

While these could be considered lower class moves, one could not underestimate the twins. Alone they were nothing more than B-ranked at most, but together and in sync they were oh most certainly A-rank, the next few seconds showing just the tip of what they could do when acting as one.

As the two moves came at Sasuke and Rina they suddenly begin to merge. Lightning hummingbirds dove into the water shuriken, dispersing only for the shuriken themselves to become electrified.

Hardly expecting this both Genin only just managed to get out of the way at the last second, jumping high into the air to avoid being hit. It was unfortunate for them that the attack didn't stop there and as if being controlled the shurikens' trajectory curved all too suddenly and swung back around, shooting straight for the backs of the two Genin.

'Shit' Sasuke cursed when he saw this and he quickly flashed through hand signs. "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique). Leaning back he shot a large fireball forward, managing to intercept the water shuriken aimed at him.

Rina wasn't as lucky as Sasuke. Not seeing the shuriken coming from behind in time the shuriken struck her in her lower back causing her body to immediately snap back and jerk spasmodically from the electrocution. However, this lasted only a moment before 'Rina' exploded showing that it had only been a water clone all along.

Sasuke landed gracefully, the explosion of water soaking him from head to toe. Scowling at this fact he turned towards a nearby puddle. "Well? You coming out already or what?"

In response to this Rina's head poked out from beneath the water where she had been observing the beginning of the fight. Easily lifting herself from her little hidey-hole she brushed off the water that clung to her clothes. "So what do you think?"

Sasuke turned his gaze once more on the twins. "If I had to guess I'd say they aren't that strong individually, but together they compliment each other well."

Rina scowled. "I thought so too. We're going to have to either be better at working together than them or try separating them. I'd go with the second option."

"Agreed. I'll take the girl."

Rina nodded, choosing in that moment not to make any snide remark concerning Sasuke's choice in opponent due to the situation at hand. Facing Joku she pressed her lips firmly together, focusing on trying to come up with a plan that could work in her favor against the older ninja.

"Oh look at that Rista. They seemed to have come up with a little plan. Whatever do you think it could be?"

"They must think they can separate us. The fools," Rista responded, eyeing Sasuke up. "Although you know what Joku? The boy's kind of cute for a brat if you look at him from a certain angle."

Joku snickered. "Well shall we see if he can dance then?"

"Oh with pleasure."

And with that both began running towards the two Genin, their paths as before intertwining as they approached. Leaping into the air, both exhibiting wide, exulted grins of glee, they attacked Sasuke and Rina simultaneously, kunai snapping out to try and cut at them.

Deflecting the initial attack both Sasuke and Rina were immediately put on defense, blocking thrust after thrust as quick as they came, the twins forcing them back on their heels so ferocious were their attacks. Dominating the fight from the start, metal clashed against metal as the twins worked the two Konoha Genin, the siblings showing themselves superior in up close and personal fighting. While the two Genin might have both been skilled in fighting due to constantly training, their skills honed for years in the village stood no chance up against skills that had been practiced and perfected in actual combat, only managing to hold the twins back enough so that they weren't killed right at the get-go.

As they came clashing together once again, each Genin holding back a twin that pressured them by putting their weight into the push, neither Sasuke nor Rina expected what came next; so engrossed and focused were they.

With their free hands both siblings withdrew a second kunai from their pockets. Keeping the pressure on their respective Genin, they suddenly threw the second kunai at the other's opponent, watching in eagerness as the kunai crossed midway before flying through the air at its target.

'I can't dodge it!' both Genin thought in horror once they saw the ploy for what it truly was, their eyes widening in realization of their plight as the kunai drew closer and closer.

The kunai were only inches away from hitting the pair when suddenly two dark clouds shot forward from the side. Coming in between both Genin and kunai the clouds neatly intercepted the kunai, the two weapons lodging themselves in the clouds before they were slowly sucked into the buzzing mass.

"You must pay closer attention to your surroundings, Sasuke-san, Rina-san. Why? Because is that not what Naruto-sensei taught us?"

Rina grinned when she heard Shino's voice, relief flooding her system. Offering a small growl and snapping back from Joku she landed next to the boy, quickly followed by Sasuke who held a small smirk.

"Thanks for the save, Shino," Rina said.

"It seems the scenario and plan itself have changed. I believe the best way to handle the situation presently would be to coordinate our attacks together. I have calculated that with a fight of three to two, we have the advantage in every scenario I have considered. Do you both agree?"

"No objections from me. You, Sasuke?"

"Hn," was all she got for a response, but the other two could tell that he was in acceptance of the plan.

"Very well. Might I suggest the Blitz tactic to start?" Shino asked, earning nods from his two teammates.

"All right! Let's kick some ass!" Rina cried out confidently and with that exclamation all three shot forward, Shino assuming a rear position as he relied more on long ranged attacks than did his fellows.

Preceding them came Shino's mass of bugs, shooting in between Sasuke and Rina as they ran, heading right for where Rista and Joku were standing. As soon as the twins moved apart, dodging the attack they were immediately set upon by either Sasuke or Rina from the side, for the first time being put on the defense since the beginning of the fight, the two Genin attacking with a ferocity that was set ablaze from working together as one with their fellow teammates.

Using the Uzumaki style to apply power to her strokes Rina aimed for Joku's gut as she came on, a move that the man dodged easily by twisting out right and spinning around the fist. Just as he aimed a blow to the back of her neck Rina snapped her free hand back, catching Joku by the wrist without even having to look. Amplifying the chakra in her arms Rina released a mighty growl and flung him away from her, speeding right after him as he slid on his back from the throw.

When he jumped up to regain his footing Rina was immediately upon him again, jumping and twisting in air, her left leg snapped out from the side aiming specifically for his face.

Joku was not to be outdone so easily by one he thought no more than a little child. Lifting up a wrist he grunted when the attack came, his body sliding further back from the force behind the blocked kick. However, grinning at her now vulnerable position he grabbed at her ankle, yanking her up above him and then down with a strength that was not expected from someone that appeared so lithe and fragile.

Rina groaned in pain when her body was slammed hard into the ground, the girl now on her back with Joku looming over her. Gritting her teeth she kicked out sharply, her foot just barely catching the man by the ankles and ultimately making him fall to the ground beside her. Acting quickly Rina rolled away from him, once more pulling herself back onto her feet, Joku doing the same with a scowl for having been so easily taken down even just momentarily as he had been. Staring at one another, both breathing easily having not really exerted themselves up to this point, they then launched themselves forward, starting the battle anew as their bodies clashed, fists snapping out, hits being blocked, neither giving an inch to the other as they fought.

 _-With Sasuke-_

Sasuke wasn't gaining much ground with his opponent as Rina was. Whenever he tried to score a hint Rista would just barely dodge out of the way, mocking him with an occasional degrading remark that just completely infuriated the boy.

Shino's bugs were somewhat helpful in managing to corner her, but whenever she felt truly threatened Rista would fire off a spout of water that ultimately wiped out Shino's swarm, effectively making it only useful in trying to get her to go one way or another in a fight; something that was good when dealing with twins that worked as one to wipe out their enemies.

Growling out his frustration Sasuke charged again, firing off a barrage of punches and kicks that Rista of course dodged without seeming to put much effort into it. Sasuke used every trick he knew to try and score a hit: a feint to the left, a speedy kick after his fist was caught, anything at all and yet every attempt he made was either blocked or dodged by the woman who through it all just smirked confidently. This made Sasuke's mood worsen. While he was a bit better at keeping his emotions in check thanks to the intervention of Naruto's teaching, this situation just made him loose all sense of cool that he usually exhibited; one question constantly being repeated in his mind as he fought. How could he defeat her without landing a single blow?

It wasn't until Sasuke saw a small portion of Shino's bugs break off from the main cloud, darting quickly behind the woman without her noticing, that Sasuke saw some semblance of hope. Knowing exactly what Shino was doing, having coordinated this several times while training as a team, Sasuke began directing Rista back and to the right. Aided by the swirling mass that were Shino's bugs as they whipped this way and that, both boys forced Rista to comply with their ever so subtle pushing.

The ploy worked perfectly without Rista ever noticing she was purposely being herded towards a specific point. When at last the two boys had managed to get her on the right spot Sasuke made a sign, a smile coming to his lips as he stared at her.

Seeing this Rista immediately snapped her head down on instinct, her eyes widening in alarm as she saw the explosive note now beneath her sizzle in preparation to blow. Cursing her luck, knowing she wouldn't be able to get out of the way in time no matter how fast she moved, she made a sign and focused hard, a small bubble of water forming and expanding out around her legs. Putting as much power into her legs as she could Rista then jumped, the explosive note going off just as she left the ground.

The bridge shook as the note went off, pieces of rubble shooting every which way from the force of the explosion. With the explosive force beneath her Rista was ultimately sent hurtling up and to the side, her body landing a distance away with smoke trailing from her form.

Seeing his sister's flying form Joku immediately broke away from his fight with Rina, sprinting over to Rista.

"Damn them," Rista snarled out through gritted teeth as she rose slowly with an arm upraised, the lower parts of her legs red with rawness from the heat given off by the explosion, but thankfully still there after her quick intervention.

Joku grabbed her arm and helped her up, steadying her on her feet. "You all right Nee-chan?"

Rista spat at the three children that had once more regrouped up in front of them. "Of course I am, Joku. See?" And here she made a couple hand signs, water surrounding her right hand. Applying the hand to the burns she sighed in relief as the cooling properties of the water absorbed the heat from her wounds, lowering the pain to a dull ache. Releasing her technique she rubbed her legs gingerly, grimacing when small bursts of pain met her examination.

"I think it's time we take it up a notch. These are no ordinary children Nee-chan," Joku put in, giving his sister's wounds one last look before turning to stare across the space between themselves and the trio in front.

"What gave that away?" Rista retorted harshly. She was not in the greatest of moods after having been outdone by a couple of brats and the embarrassment she felt sorely tempered her usually uplifted manner.

"It's time to show them why we are feared throughout the lands," she continued on, standing up fully with her narrowed eyes directed straight at the accursed little group in front of her.

 _-With Zabuza-_

Zabuza had watched the beginning of the fight, seeing the children beaten back by the skillful tactics of the twins. It was after witnessing Rista nearly blown up that he lost interest and turned back to more pressing matters. Staring at Gato, Zabuza could feel another wave of anger flush through his weakening system. Gripping his sword with one hand while keeping the other pressed against his belly to keep the blood flow at bay Zabuza began to slowly walk towards the chubby man, an evil look to his usually neutral face.

"No one else can save you Gato. Let's finish this already," Zabuza said, approaching the man who was edging back into the crowd of his hired help.

"N-Never. Why can't you just die already?!"

Zabuza scoffed at that and seeing several of the men standing in between him and his prize gave them a glare that was loosely translated as 'Get out of my way or die.'

Many of the thugs took an involuntary step back, gulping at the look they were receiving. However, the next thing they heard tightened their resolves enough to halt their backward motion and face the Demon of the Mist.

"Whoever kills that man will get one million-no two million ryo!" Gato cried out frantically with a large amount of desperation in his voice, stumbling back enough so that he was behind his hundred or so men. There he seemed to gain confidence with the distance and human bodies separating himself and Zabuza, a cocky smirk emerging on his lips as he pointed ahead. "He's already injured. Whoever brings me his head first gets the reward!"

The men seemed to consider this, weighing the options before them. Many took on wild grins, taking a few steps forward and readying weapons, the group roiling with eagerness for that prize money. It was a huge amount of money and all they had to do was kill this severely wounded ninja? No problem. Quite a few of the men were about to do just that when out of the thick mist two dark figures suddenly emerged, running straight towards Zabuza with swords drawn.

Hearing the sound of footsteps coming from behind Zabuza turned around smartly to meet the newest arrivals, shakily holding out his sword in front of him. His knees nearly buckled as the both swords came in hard, crashing into his own with a force that drew a pain filled grunt from the injured man. Barely able to hold back the two men, Zabuza shoved forward with all his strength an instant later, driving the duo back with sheer willpower alone.

Both men flipped in mid-air, landing neatly on their feet as they faced Zabuza, swords already out in front of them and prepared for another attack. One man had dark white hair, a purple bandana atop his head with matching purple tattoos under his eyes. The other had his entire upper body completely bare save for a bandage wrapped around his abdomen, tattoos lining his form with a single eye patch covering his right eye. The duo looked like a pair of trained warriors, their stances showing them to be forward on the balls of their feet indicating they were ready for anything.

"What're you two fuckers doing here?" was all Zabuza asked as he peered at the two.

Seeing that none of his men were attacking Gato pushed his way through the crowd to see what was up, "What's the matter? Why're you all just standing there?" Upon reaching the front of the crowd and barely managing to squeeze himself in between two burly men Gato took in the scene with scorn filled eyes, noting the two Zabuza was staring at.

"Oh Zōri, Waraji. How nice of you two to join us. You're just in time to see Zabuza's head roll."

The now registered samurai gave Gato condensing looks. "Is that right? Well we'll be doing that then. We wanna get back at this bastard for those times he humiliated us," Zōri responded.

One of the men that had been quite eager to get a chance at two million ryo scowled furiously at that comment, raising his voice in protest. "Oi! You two can't do that! If anyone's gonna kill Zabuza it's me!"

This remark had quite the effect on the thugs around the man, all turning their eyes on him. "Like ya could kil' a fly with tha' lil knife ya got there," commented another who then got many shouts of support from his friends surrounding him.

The first man snarled at the insult aimed at his sword, drawing it forth and pointing it threateningly towards the second man. "Well this little knife here will slide nice and easy across that scrawny neck of yours. It sure will." This got the first man's friends roaring with laughter, mocking the second man and his group.

"Why don'tcha come over 'ere and try yer luck then," snapped the second man and with that he too drew his sword.

The first man glared. Taking up the challenge he raised his sword high above his head, fist pumping it over and over. "Well if it's a fight you want it's a fight you get! Ain't that right boys?!" A loud roar of agreement immediately answered him, those around him beating the air with their own swords with their excitement. The second group took note of this and prepared for a fight, their faces showing the exhilaration they felt for a chance to kill.

"Oi. You two. Will you shut it?" came a voice from the side, somewhat nullifying the air of eagerness about the two groups.

The two men, just about to charge at one another, immediately stopped what they were doing, glancing towards Waraji whom had spoken up. Turning their heads back to eye the other they scowled and whipped back to face the man.

"How about you shut the fuck up, samurai-scum?!"

"Yea'! Jus' go and leave the real fighin' to us! Couple of pussies that's wha' ya both are!"

This really didn't seem to sit well with the two samurai judging from the tick marks on their foreheads and in whom valued pride over everything. Peering at one another they nodded their heads so introspectively that the others never saw the exchange before assuming two identical poses. Drawing their swords as one from their scabbards they whipped them out to the side, the duo staring menacingly at the two men.

It all happened in the time it took to cough thrice. One second they were there, the next charging at the two men, and then they were gone from sight leaving both men wondering what had just happened.

"We aren't the best samurai out there but…" Zōri started

"Don't you dare mock our pride, bastards," Wajari finished.

Turning to face the samurai that were now standing behind the pair with their backs to the mass of thugs, all saw the swordsmen flick their swords, the blood at their tips flying off. Just as before they moved as one, methodically replacing their swords back in their respective scabbards.

As the swords clicked back into their sheaths a single cut formed on both thugs' chest. Within a heartbeat of this happening an eruption of blood spurted forth from the mysterious wounds, both men crying out for a moment before falling onto their backs in unforeseen death, their eyes reflecting back what they had been unable to ask. 'What had just happened?'

Seeing their friends taken down by the punk samurai the rest of the crowd stared in hatred at the two. Many grabbed at the hilts of their blades.

"You're dead samurai!" came a loud shout from the middle of the pack, which was quickly followed by another.

"You samurai are a bunch of cheats! The both of you!"

One after another-loud remarks were made about the two pathetic little samurai who couldn't take out someone fairly. All the comments seemed to aggravate Zōi and Waraji, their bodies shaking in no amount of small fury, their jaws locked in place.

"Well why don't one of you come over here and show us how a real man fights then?!" Waraji shouted back.

Seeing the commotion and knowing that it could be very bad for him if this escalated any further Gato pushed himself in between the two groups. "Dammit! Settle this some other time! Zabuza still needs to be dealt with!" Here Gato rummaged through his pockets before pulling out a small checkbook. "Here! I'll even write out the two million ryo! Just kill that damn ninja already!"

The groups continued to stare angrily at one another, but after being reminded of the reward for killing Zabuza they all redirected their attention back at the man who just stared back, wobbling in place from the blood loss. Many still feared the man, not wishing to die. It was the two samurai that were the first to take up the challenge.

Snorting at the spineless cowards Zōri and Waraji began walking back towards Zabuza. Wanting to keep their distance the crowd of men quickly parted down the middle, forming a clear aisle for both samurai to walk through.

When they had drawn close enough to the severely weakened man the two samurai stopped, each assuming a pose with one hand on hip and with the other rested on the hilts of their swords. Both exhibited a swollen confidence that irritated Zabuza profusely.

"Well well Zabuza. You going to make this harder than it needs to be?" Zōri questioned with clear smugness.

Zabuza growled back in response, not relinquishing the hold on his sword.

Zōri sighed and shook his head, aiming a look of feigned regret at Waraji. "Seems we gotta show him who're the best swordsmen here. Don't we, Waraji?"

Waraji flashed a toothy grin back at his partner. "Seems we do. Although everyone here already knows we're the best."

Zōri's head snapped back as he laughed. "Definitely! But why not show them in case there're a few doubters in the stupid bunch?"

As they continued to banter between one another, neither samurai noticed the thickening of the fog around them, the level of visibility dropping sharply. So focused were they on gloating and putting themselves off as the best that they never even recognized that Zabuza was no longer in front of them, his form melting into the white mist all around.

"You two are annoying…" came a voice, interrupting the two.

"What the fuck? Where did all this mist come from?" Waraji raised, his head snapping his way and that as he looked around. He was barely even able to see his partner just two feet way.

The sound of heavy footsteps was clearly heard, informing the samurai that Zabuza was out there. Yet because of the mist the sound couldn't be pinpointed back to a single location thus making detection impossible.

"Where will I strike? From behind?" and they heard a weighted thud behind them. "From in front? From the side?" and with each question there came the response of audible steps. This freaked the two out. Where was he? Why couldn't they see him? And when would this blasted mist go away?

For Zabuza performing the Silent Killing now was extremely difficult. Not only was his body weakened by the loss of blood, but also he was rapidly losing consciousness and would soon enough be out. This made it all the more difficult in performing a move that relied on speed and stealth. He would have to do this fast if he had any hope of getting to Gato.

Continuing to circle, each step jolting his body, Zabuza stalked his prey, waiting for the right moment. When he saw their backs finally to him he instantly reacted, pouncing forward, surprisingly dropping his sword in the process. Jumping up and then landing just behind the cocky pair he slapped his palms onto their backs, pushing them forward in the same motion; right into the crowd of half-blind thugs.

As Zōri and Waraji stumbled forward the mist began to lift, those on the bridge finally regaining their eyesight. When many saw the two samurai stumbling towards them they immediately reacted, the fires of their anger rekindling at seeing the samurai in front of them. Grabbing at the samurai they dragged the two into the middle of the mob, smartly tearing their swords away so that they couldn't be used.

"Looks like we get to have a little payback after all. Who's with me?" one of the men said, drawing out a wicked dagger while many of those around him brandished swords. The mob enclosed around the pair, the two looking quite fearful when being confronted with so many men and without a means to defend themselves.

Zōri and Waraji hugged each other fiercely, the mob closing in around them. And this was exactly what Zabuza wanted. As the swords cut down towards the cowering forms of both samurai a sizzling sound was heard.

Opening their eyes with all action halting around them the two samurai blinking a few times, recognizing the sound. Realizing where the sound was coming from they stared at the other's back, their eyes going wide as they saw the single explosive tag stuck to there.

"Shi-"

"Fuc-"

They both managed this much before the tags reached their end and erupted in twin explosions, the bodies of the two samurai along with the vast majority of those surrounding them blowing up with blood and gore flying every which way and covering the few survivors that were on the outskirts of the crowd.

From the sidelines Zabuza watched the carnage enfold, blood splattering the ground every which way. However, none of this really mattered to the trained killer. His blurry eyes were looking for one thing and one thing only and a second after the explosion he saw what he desired.

Gato, who had been standing relatively far away from the center of the crowd, had been sent flying to the side from the force behind the tags. Clutching at his right eye with both hands and with a look of excruciating pain adorning his features the chubby man rocketed over the edge of the bridge, his uninjured eye fixing on Zabuza for the briefest of moments before he inevitably fell down and into the misty waters far below.

Making all due haste to the edge of the bridge Zabuza watched Gato's body splash into the water far below, ripples forming from the massive splash before they eventually settled moments later.

Cursing his luck at losing his prey Zabuza was just about to go diving in right after Gato when his legs suddenly gave out beneath him, his body collapsing soon after. Falling to the ground Zabuza tried in vain to crawl over the edge in a last ditch attempt at revenge, but the willpower that had sustained him far past the level a normal human being could stay conscious swiftly left him. With a curse towards Gato on his lips Zabuza closed his eyes and slipped deep into a state of darkness, half his body hanging limply over the bridge's edge.

 _-Somewhere on the Bridge-_

A blonde head poked itself out from one of the many puddles that covered the bridge. Peering around and seeing that the coast was clear with everyone already engaged in their own fighting Naruto-clone drew himself up.

Turning to watch his Genin fight he smiled proudly at the sight of them actually winning against their skilled adversaries. While he did want to go to them and help, Naruto had specifically made this clone with the barest minimum of chakra in order for its position not to be known. That just wouldn't do for it had a very important job to deal with.

Moving to the prone form of Haku Naruto inwardly winced at seeing her wound close up. It was just horrible to see and many would wonder why he was actually wasting the effort to do this. Well screw those doubters. Even if everyone else had put Haku off as dead Naruto hadn't. Not for a second. He had been able to sense her life force and, while it was extremely weak and dim, it was still there which was good.

'Just keep fighting Haku. Don't you dare die on me.'

Knowing that he hadn't the skill nor the supplies to actually even begin to try to heal the wound she had sustained, Naruto had only one option left on the table if he wanted to save Haku.

Dropping down to his knees he pulled a small piece of paper, a brush, and bottle of special ink out from a pouch that was meant to specifically house these very important items. Dipping the tip of his brush into the ink that was a mixture of both ink and his chakra infused blood, Naruto set to work writing a very delicate, intricately designed seal on the paper. It took less than twenty seconds for the skilled seal master and once done, he packed everything away, his small project now complete.

In his hand now rested a homeostatis seal, a very advanced seal that, when applied to an object whether living or not, preserved that object in something akin to a bubble, cutting it off from both time and space. This was what would save Haku.

Slapping the seal onto Haku's forehead Naruto formed a single hand-seal.

"Fūin."

The moment he said that the kanji on the paper began to spread out, rapidly crawling across Haku's skin until her entire body was covered in the weird, black sciggles.

Inwardly congratulating himself for a job well done Naruto gingerly took Haku's small body into his arms. Peering one last time at his young Genin fighting away Naruto tore his eyes away and jumped quietly over the edge of the bridge, running across the water with the sole purpose of getting Haku to safety.

 _-Back with the Genin-_

"Looks like Zabuza's out," Joku commented as the standoff between the twins and the Genin continued.

"That makes it all the more easier when we finish up with these kiddies," Rista responded.

"What's say we kick it up a notch Nee-chan?"

"With pleasure…"

Tipping her head resolutely to her brother Rista once again commenced with the attack. Flashing through hand signs rapidly, much faster than she had done previously, she then extended her arms straight out, palms facing towards the Genin. "Suiton: Ja no Kuchi (Water Release: Serpent Mouth)." From her palms shot out jets of water that rushed at the Genin. However, halfway to them the water began to take on the form of two gigantic water snakes, their mouths agape as they came crashing towards the children.

Seeing the oncoming attack all three Genin rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding being hit. However, the plan had not been for the attack to hit. With the snakes came a massive flood of wave, covering the ground beneath everyone's feet.

Receiving a nod from his sister Joku added his own move to the mix. Crouching down and using lightning wrapped around his fingers, he stabbed his fingers into the grounds, burying them up to the second knuckles. "Raiton: Dendou Hebi no Jutsu (Lightning Release: Electric Snake Technique)." Just as he finished calling out the move lightning began to dance across the surface of the water, speeding rapidly towards the Genin.

'They're using the water as a conductor' Sasuke instantly recognized and seeing this he was the first to respond, jumping high into the air. "Rina! Shino! Move!"

Hearing his shout both Genin did just that, leaping up and planting their feet onto the metal struts of the bridge.

Seeing his teammates were out of the way and knowing he had to get rid of the water Sasuke made the necessary hand signs. "Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique)" Puffing out his chest he then began to blow out a concentrated blast of fire aiming for the water. When the fire hit there was an immediate burst of steam, the water quickly evaporating under the intense heat.

Smirking down in success, Sasuke never saw the blast of steam that came rushing towards him, hitting him directly in the face. Crying out his body dropped heavily to the ground, hands covering his face.

"Sasuke!" Rina shouted and moved to the Uchiha's side. "What's the matter?"

Sasuke muttered a curse under his breath and stood, his hands dropping away from his face. Rina gasped.

From cheek to cheek Sasuke's skin was flushed red with a deep burn. The burn was bad, the skin already blistering where he had been hit.

"That's a little payback Uchiha!" Rista shouted across to him with vindictive malice.

Sasuke scowled at her.

"I bet you don't even know what hit you? Well allow me to demonstrate." Breathing in heavily, she sucked in the steam that surrounded her. Once her chest had swollen to its max volume she cried, "Suiton: Suijouki no Jutsu (Water Release: Steam Technique)," then blew it all out at once, the steam shooting out of her mouth as a line of hot air. Not even close to being finished Rista then breathed in and blew out a second, a third, a fourth blast, all focused on the area Rina and Sasuke were at. Each pillar of steam came on fast and both knew they wouldn't be able to dodge in time.

That was why Rina sprung up, her hands already moving through hand signs as she jumped in front of Sasuke.

"Suiton: Mizu no Yoroi (Water Release: Water Armor)!" Focusing as much chakra around her as possible, a thin layer of water rapidly covered Rina from head to toe, encasing her in a literal armor crafted from water.

"Rina! What the hel-!" was all Sasuke was able to manage before the first of the four attacks was upon them, hitting Rina square in the chest. The girl grunted from the impact, the water immediately starting to heat up around her, however not to a point she couldn't endure. Then the second attack came, the heat stifling to the redhead whose lungs began to burn from the hot air. By the time the last two had finished she could barely breath, her skin partially burnt from the heat overwhelming her thin armor.

Sasuke watched on with wide eyes, his mouth partially agape in surprise. In front of him with steam billowing off her body Rina stood defiantly, her arms crossed out in front as a meager defense against the scorching hot steam.

"Sasuke…you all right?" she managed, her form slightly shaking from the ordeal she had just gone through.

He couldn't answer her, his shock clear.

"Sasuke. Are you all right?" Rina asked more forcefully, her back still to the boy.

"Rina I…" Here Sasuke paused and recollected himself. "Yeah. I'm all right."

"Good…" Rina managed before she collapsed to one knee, her breath somewhat labored after taking the attack head on.

Sasuke stared at the back of her head, his face still showing his confusion. "Why?"  
"Why…what?"

"Why did you save me?"

He heard Rina scoff. "Teme. We're teammates remember? That's what teammates do right?"

It took a moment for Sasuke to respond to that, but when he did there was a smirk now on his lips. "Right."

Rina rose to her feet then after that small rest bit, Sasuke finding her side as the duo stared across the small span of bridge that separated them from the twins. "You ready for round three, Uchiha?"

"Of course I am, Namikaze," Sasuke replied a little haughtily.

"Well then let's show this freak show how Konoha ninja kick some ass."

Rista had been watching on with a wicked grin. Oh how she loved getting revenge and the feeling was made even better when she managed to get both brats. However, the feeling diminished somewhat when she began to feel her energy slowly slipping away. Looking down, Rista saw the bugs that now surrounded her. Immediately reacting she jumped away, her eyes snapping to find the unmoving form of Shino that still remained on the bridge's strut.

"Nice try, bug boy. You'll need to try harder to get me."

Shino stared impassively at her. "Sapping you of your chakra was not the objective of that action. What do I mean by this? I mean it was purely a distraction." Reaching out with both hands and his fingers spread wide he snapped them down.

Rista sent the boy a questioning look, but when she heard the sound of buzzing from above she looked up. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the giant dark swarm of bugs descending down on them.

"Ah shit."

The attack hit just as planned, the literal cloud covering both twins from head to toe. Shino knew that this would not be enough to finish the fight. From the very formation of the ploy in his head he had known it wouldn't so he had directed his bugs from the start to suck as much chakra as they could while clinging to the twins, sapping away at their strength as fast as possible.

And Shino's prediction was correct as always.

Electricity crackled around one form, the bugs on it dropping to the ground in death. The bugs on the second form were drowned, a bubble of water expanding around it before popping and killing the bugs there.

"I hate bugs!" Rista cried out, her hands going up to her hair to comb out the dead insect bodies.

"Good work, Shino!" Rina yelled out, her strength finally coming back.

Shino landed beside them with his hands in his pockets once more. "I hope it was enough for you two to recover some of your chakra."

Rina grinned and punched her left palm. "Ah yeah and I'm ready to get some payback."

"Very well."

"Wanna start this off, Sasuke?" Rina asked, turning to give said boy a look.

"With pleasure," Sasuke responded and here he pulled two smoke bombs from the pouch on his back hip. Throwing them down a huge plume of smoke enveloped the trio, blocking them from sight from the twins.

From out of the smoke came the first counterattack, ten clones of Rina emerging and rushing towards the twins. Lifting their right hands up to their mouths they then all fired shots of water at the pair, the water exploding at the feet of the two who ducked this way and that to avoid the potentially dangerous globs of water.

"They're just clones! Let me handle this!" Joku shouted at his sister and flashing through hand signs he yelled out, "Raiton: Dendou Hari Hirogari no Jutsu (Lightning Release: Electric Needle Spread Technique)!" From his chest there emerged countless needles composed of electricity. Leaning forward with his fists cocked at his sides he then yelled out again and straightened, the needles flying towards the oncoming clones

All the clones were easily dispersed from the attack, each bursting out in a shower of water.

Then the next Genin struck. Soaring high above them Sasuke brought his hand up to his mouth, saying, "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)," and launching a fireball right at the pair. Once the ball of fire had left Sasuke's mouth it headed straight for the twins, coming down on them as an inferno.

Sasuke watched on as he fell earthward, but his attention was drawn behind him when he sensed someone there. Turning he saw Joku grinning wickedly, a hand crackling with lightning reaching for his head. However, Shino quickly intercepted this attack, his insects forming into a tight ball around Joku and encasing him long enough for Sasuke to get away and land.

Cursing at his failed attempt lightning surged around the man as he killed off every last bug around him. Just as he touched ground, however, chains of water quickly encircled his ankles, securing him in place.

"Now Sasuke!" Rina shouted while holding the last seal of her move to keep it going.

Hearing this Sasuke sprinted for Joku, two fists full of shuriken in each hand. Throwing them and remembering what Naruto had told them in one of their first training sessions refrained from seeing if his attack actually struck and instead focused his efforts now on Rista. Bolting for the woman he flipped and struck his right foot out, his kick being blocked by a leg of her own.

Joku didn't take long to break out of his bonds, dodging to the right fast enough to avoid all but one of the shuriken, the lone projectile slicing his cheek drawing blood from the man.

The man was just about to go to his sister's aid when from all the puddles around him came fifteen clones, all attacking as one as they came at Joku. Growling out in frustration the man blocked a few of the hits and leaping to the side flashed through signs. Electricity crackled around him and from it came three clones of his own, all showing angered expressions. "Have a taste of your own medicine, you damn brat!" he roared and two clones immediately ran straight for the group of Rina clones while one ran for the original. However, they didn't attack. Instead they began to glow and then suddenly exploded, electrocuting all the clones and dispersing them in one go. Rina gritted her teeth as the clone that had exploded near her sent shockwaves of electricity running through her system, parts of her body going numb.

"Raiton: Dendou Bakuhatsu no Jutsu (Lightning Release: Electric Explosion Tehchnique) girl! Surprise!"

Rina snarled at the man.

"Oh you want some more do you? Well then take this!" And here Joku formed an additional seven clones, the clones not wasting any time and running straight for the downed Rina.

Rina watched them charge at her. Rising slowly but without her right leg to support her weight due to it still being numb she stumbled a bit in the process. She was about to try and fight off the exploding clones when thankfully Shino intervened on her behalf. Appearing in front of Rina out of nowhere he reached into his pockets, throwing the handfuls of dirt he had collected prior to the battle in front of him. Going through the necessary signs he said, "Doton: Shuriken no Jutsu (Earth Release: Stone Shuriken Technique)." The dirt particles quickly formed into shuriken shaped stone projectiles, some of the clones exploding when hit by the attack. However, not all of them were destroyed and grabbing up Rina with one of her arms around his neck Shino jumped away to avoid the remaining four. Seeing this Joku's clones weren't that put off and turning sharply they launched themselves at the retreating pair.

Dodging right and left, spinning and twirling Shino supported Rina as he avoided the clones' attempts to get at them. Eventually the clones would get them the two Genin both knew, but Shino was hoping that his fast feet were giving them enough time for…

Eventually the clones managed to corner Shino, forcing his back up against one of the bridge's supporters. Turning his head and peering at the enemy, he counted down in his head, '3…2…1…' Upon reaching zero the clones suddenly dispersed in small crackles, surprising Joku who had been watching on from the sidelines.

"What the fuck?" Joku questioned in bemusement, having no clue what had just happened.

Placing Rina solidly back to her feet and making sure her numbness had passed Shino turned back to stare at Joku. "I imagine you are curious as to why your clones were dispersed. The answer is simple. Why? Because I mixed in my insects into the shuriken. When they passed they attached themselves to your clones, sapping them of all their chakra."

"I'm starting to really hate you brats," Joku snarled.

"Like we care," Rina responded as she tested her leg out and felt it was back to normal.

Just at that moment Sasuke and Rista came into the picture right between the opponents, the woman firing kunai after kunai at the Uchiha who spun easily to dodge the attacks. Seeing Rina out of the corner of his eye Sasuke turned and gave her a look. Rina immediately understood the plan and giving him a nod drew out a kunai with an explosive note attached to its end.

Turning his attention back to Rista, Sasuke likewise removed an explosive kunai from his pouch. Throwing it at the ground at the precise moment Rina did, twin explosions went off, the air around the three Genin blanketing over with dark smoke. From that smokescreen the Genin charged out seconds later, resuming their fight with the twins.

Rista had waited until she saw Sasuke running out of the smoke towards her before she had resumed her attack, firing three kunai into the air between them. Sasuke drew up his own kunai, knocking the projectiles away only to clash with Rista a second later. For a few moments a dual of kunai was seen, both ninja fighting to score a hit on the other. When this didn't happen they broke away, both breathing more heavily than they had been before.

A staring contest ensued from there, neither breaking eye contact until Rista's gaze drifted behind and to the left of Sasuke. A wicked smile found its way to her lips. "Now Joku!"

Sasuke immediately spun around on instinct, preparing for an assault. Yet this was hardly the case with Joku still in the midst of a fight with the other two Genin. Realizing his mistake Sasuke whirled back around, but it was too late for him for as he did four kunai came in fast, each striking him in either the gut or chest.

Blood spurted from his mouth and Sasuke fell to his knees, his body shaking.

"Well well. It seems the name Uchiha leaves much to be desired," Rista said contemptuously, approaching the downed boy with a superior smirk to her lips. Standing over Sasuke she trailed a hand down to cup his chin, hiking it up to meet her cold gaze. "You fought well for a mere Genin, but this is the end. Time to die brat." With her free hand she produced a kunai and snapping it from the side, slashed it without hesitation across Sasuke's throat with a wicked glint to her eyes.

This moment of glory, however, was short lived because just as she had cut his neck Sasuke's body transformed, morphing back into its original form of Rina before ultimately melting away and creating a small puddle.

"What the?"

"Behind you," came Sasuke's voice and the words were followed by a 'schlick' as a kunai buried itself to the hilt in Rista's heart, the tip poking marginally out of her bosom.

Rista's body arched, her eyes going wide as a silent scream escaping her spread lips.

Sasuke growled low in her ear, turning the blade in his hand so that it cut even deeper. "Go to hell dammit."

"I should say the same to you," came a voice off from the side, shocking Sasuke to the core.

Rista stood there, a hand on hip and looking all the more superior after having out manipulated the boy. Snapping her fingers the Rista that Sasuke had stabbed erupted in an explosion of water, covering the boy from head to toe.

'Shit when did she…?' Sasuke mentally berated himself, placing a kunai up in defense.

"You're probably wondering when I made a clone. Probably the same time that little redheaded bitch did. When you all enveloped yourselves with smoke. Surprised?"

Sasuke cursed under his breath and was about to attack the woman once more when she raised a hand, a single finger wagging back and forth as she tut tutted.

"Oh no no. No more fighting. It's already over."

Sasuke scowled. "What do you mean? I've got plenty of fight left in me."

Rista sighed exasperatedly, flicking her gaze up above Sasuke then back down.

Following her look Sasuke turned his gaze upwards, his eyes going wide when he saw the countless spears of water hovering just above him, their pointed tips aimed directly at him.

"Now would you just die already?" Rista asked and flicked her hand down, the spears moving on cue and ripping through the air towards the unmoving boy. "Suiton: Doiru Suiyari no Jutsu (Water Release: Drilling Water Spears)."

Sasuke didn't even have time to cry out as the spears of water came down on top of him, each spear piercing his body simultaneously from countless directions and angles with dull 'schunks'. In just under a second Sasuke's body had gone from being relatively unscathed to looking like an oversized pincushion. However, this sight didn't remain long for just moments later the spears dissipated as Rista released her technique.

Sasuke's body wavered for a while, rocking back and forth until finally the strength left his body and he fell back, a low thud being heard as his body made contact with the ground. Blood leaked out from countless of the inflected wounds and Sasuke could barely move, lying there broken before a laughing Rista.

Sasuke was surprised. There was absolutely no pain as his eyesight left him. Only questions plagued his mind as he stared up at the misty sky. Was he really about to die? Was he really going to die without killing his brother? Without avenging his clan?

An image of his mother flashed into his mind and Sasuke wondered if she would weep for him. She was a strong woman. An Uchiha born and bred and had held back her tears even after the massacre those many years ago. Would she dare show weakness upon hearing of her son's death?

Sasuke's breath hitched for a moment at the thought, half wanting to believe she would and half wanting her to remain strong for the pride of the Uchiha.

Thinking of strength eventually led Sasuke's mind towards the memory that would forever haunt him; the night he had witnessed his father murdered at the hands of his son, Sasuke's brother. This was the last time he had seen his brother, Itachi, and Sasuke had spent every day cursing the man; clearly remembering the words that had etched themselves onto his brain.

"Foolish little brother. If you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me, and live a loathsome life run away. Run away and cling to life. And then some day, when you have the same eyes as I do, come before me."

Yet he would be unable to do even that now wouldn't he? This was it.

Sasuke could only manage out a single word before darkness overtook him, all his emotions reverberating out with that barely audible curse. "Dammit…"

 _-With Rina-_

Rina had been in the middle of her fight with Joku alongside Shino when she saw the clone she had made for Sasuke do its job perfectly, distracting Rista long enough for Sasuke to score a hit.

However, the elation she felt upon seeing Rista taken down was instantly replaced with horror when she saw the water spears forming above Sasuke's head. Realizing what was about to happen Rina broke away from her fight with Joku, making straight for Sasuke with her hand upraised in warning.

"Sasuke!"

Her warning came too late.

Managing only a few steps in his direction, Rina was too transfixed on watching the scene unfolding before her very eyes that she stumbled, falling to her knees. And that was when the spears came down, plunging right into Sasuke with sickening thunks.

Rina sat there, too shocked to move as she watched Sasuke's body fall back, too shocked to try and go to his aid. Twice now she had lost two people close to her. Twice now Kami had taken people precious to her away. Rina felt a dull throb resonate through her very being; spreading from her head to her toes and for just a moment her pupils took on slits before morphing back to their original roundness.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion at this and all sound came out as a low rumble. Rina heard Rista's laughter. She heard Shino monotone demand for answers, but she just couldn't muster up anything to answer back.

Turning her head, she set her eyes on Shino who in that brief moment had turned his back towards Joku to analyze what had happened. And that was the moment Joku used to pounce on the boy, striking him from behind with lightning claws that raked Shino's back from top to bottom. Rina heard a low grunt escape the boy and watched transfixed as he too fell to his knees, his bugs swirling noisily around his prone form as if wishing to help him.

Again…?

Another friend?

Three friends had been taken from her in less than an hour?

Rina's heart felt heavy; too heavy to bear. The throbbing grew and Rina could clearly hear the rapidly accelerating heart in her chest; could clearly hear the laughter of both twins as they stood over their victims.

Violet eyes turned crimson.

A heavy wind picked up around Rina's shaking form, sweeping across her causing her hair to rise up and spread out around her. Slowly Rina rose, her form slumped over.

 **'Fight'**

Rina took a slow step forward, her vision gradually clouding over in red.

 **'Avenge'**

She took another step, her heart pounding painfully in her chest.

 **'Kill'**

And that was the final breaking point.

"Kill…"

 _-With both twins-_

The twins had joined back together, barely able to breath so hard were they laughing. Eyes watering, the laughter died down a bit once they felt the sudden spike in chakra. Turning towards the last remaining Genin both twins grinned in her direction.

"Do you think she's mad at us, Rista?" Joku asked, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Oh most definitely. We did just wipe out both her teammates."

"Well shall we finish up the job then?"

"I think we must," Rista responded, flashing her brother an approving smile.

However, this banter was immediately halted just a moment after, their attention caught and held. It wasn't the still increasing level of chakra that caught their attention. It wasn't the oppressive weight settling over them that sent deathly chills down their backs. No, it was the single word that came from the small girl slumped over before them, her voice overflowing with anger, resentment, and a coldness that would freeze over even Hell itself. It was a word that, for the first time in their lives, made the twins envision their own deaths, fear overflowing their systems to the point their bodies began to tremble.

"Kill…"

 _-With Joku-_

For the first time in his life Joku felt the first real stab of utter fear rip through him and it was completely unsettling. Sure, he had experienced plenty of scares before, as every shinobi had once they began their career as ninja, but this was something entirely different. This feeling was heavy. It was malevolent. It was so laced with evil that surrounded him, holding him so furiously in its clutches that it caused him to gasp out in both pain and horror. The pressure was intense, filling the very air around him with its potency. He could barely breathe and when he did, his lungs felt like they were on fire. It was as if someone was taking red-hot needles and jabbing his lungs repeatedly making his chest burn.

Crying out, Joku could do nothing when the next wave of suffocating pressure hit him and he was forced to his knees, unable to support himself. Slumping forward, hands settling on the ground, he breathed harshly; his eyes wide with pupils dilated. While he knew he had to get himself back under control, every time he successfully shook away the horrible, heavy feeling that settled over him another wave would sweep across him, reasserting its total dominance over him.

With great effort he turned his head to stare at his sister and saw that she too appeared to be experiencing the same effect, as was he. The fact unsettled him even more.

Seeing his sister in such a predicament Joku knew he had to try and do something, even if he didn't know what that something was. With his entire body shaking, both from the pressure crashing down over him as well as from the sheer terror he was feeling, he nonetheless began to rise shakily to his feet. When the next invisible wave of enmity came he held his ground, albeit weakly, stumbling back a step or two before standing straight once more.

Wind beat at him from all directions, nearly blinding him with its intensity. Placing a hand over his eyes, Joku peered ahead, looking at the still slumped over form of the redhead that all this…evil was originating from me. And what he felt next hit him so hard, so squarely in the gut that he was forced back, landing roughly on his backside. The power behind the brutal, invisible blow was truly menacing and yet he didn't even notice any of this, his eyes locked on the prone form of Rina. The sight that befell him caused his mouth to go dry for as he watched on, the fear he had felt before increased two-fold, causing terror to reaffirm its hold over him.

 _-Within a certain cage-_

The ancient creature that had witnessed countless centuries, that had witnessed countless generations pass before his eyes, slowly awaked from its slumber. It had been deep asleep, dreaming of once again being free from this accursed prison when it had felt a small tug deep within its core. Opening one great, slitted eye it concentrated hard, focusing on that small emotion that it knew so well. Hatred.

Among the many ribbons of emotions that encircled its cage, branching off in different directions, the creature was able to find the exact one pertaining to hatred. Reaching a clawed paw through the bars of its cell, it gripped the strand tightly. Closing its eye, it began to impart an inconsequential amount of its chakra into the ribbon, the ribbon taking on a deep crimson color that began to flow upwards, following the trail of the strand into the pitch black darkness above.

Finished with its corruption, the creature with its many tails flowing behind it released the ribbon, withdrawing its paw back into the cage. A cold, toothy smile crossed its face, its eyes opening partially to gaze up at the dark, dripping ceiling of the room that housed its prison. It would offer its prison guard the power she sought; offer it for a price of course. Turning its eyes on the seal that kept its cage doors in place, the creature noticed the small, barely discernable tear appear at the very bottom right corner of the paper. It would wait. It would wait for her to call on its power again, and when she did it would offer it up willingly, always knowing that with each offering it would be drawing one step closer to what it sought the most. Release.

 _-Back on the bridge-_

The pressure was building up within Rina, building up to a point that she thought would no longer be able to sustain the sheer pressure all balled up in her stomach. Her body trembled form the sheer effort it was taking to hold it all back, but then, just like that, the pressure snapped all at once, power surging into her system from the sweet release it offered. Yet the power it gave was just too much for her small body to contain, too much for her to capture, filling her up to the brink with energy and needing somewhere to go.

She gave that somewhere.

Drawing back with her body straightening sharply, she spread her arms out wide to the side with fists clenched tightly. Snapping her head up she released an ear splitting scream, the sound eliciting a shockwave that roared from her system, a tidal wave of invisible power surging from her in a giant wave that knocked everything aside within its path including both Joku and Rista.

Breathing heavily from the new source of power that was now filling her system, Rina directed cold, crimson eyes towards the twins that lay cowering just a short distance away and just the sight of them caused another surge of hatred to run through her. Air rippled around her, swirling madly in no distinct pattern. The wind itself bowed to her as it danced about, forcing her red hair to rise and billow out behind her, dancing with the wind.

"You did this." The words were like a lightning bolt so hard did it strike both Joku and Rista, earning a small whimper from the latter.

"You did this." Rina's anger was building once again, her breathing harsh as she stared at the twins. Orange chakra began to leak forth from Rina and with its emergence the air was flooded with chakra, enhancing the killing intent radiating out from Rina to a point where it caused the twins to splutter and gasp, now even more so barely able to draw breath due to the stifling and suffocating pressure it exuded upon them.

Chunks of rubble began to rise into the air around Rina, swirling around her head from on high. At the same time steam began to issue from the many cuts she had sustained in her fight with the twins, the wounds healing over with a soft sizzle that left her skin unblemished after the skin had stitched itself back together.

Yet this wasn't even the most startling part. And Rina didn't even seem to notice the transformation that soon occurred, too focused on he pair before her.

Rina's appearance began to radically alter. Her nails grew longer and sharper, appearing more as claws than fingernails. The canines in her mouth as well lengthened, ending in wickedly curving points that gave the watchers the impression that they could literally rip anything easily to pieces. Throughout the process dread, despair, and pure evil continued to radiate off the girl in waves, hitting the pair watching on again and again.

"You killed them!"

Rina's second scream ripped through twins and they knew in that moment that there would be no escape for them. When they had delivered those blows to her teammates they had in turn sealed their own fates. They were doomed.

The moment the waves of power ceased to come at them startled the two. It was silent and yet they would have given anything to have some semblance of noise filling the void for before them, with a thick coat of orange chakra covering her from head to toe, stood a creature that no one in their right mind would want to encounter. This was no girl that stood before them. No. This was much much worse. Standing in front of them was what no one wanted to see, a violent, vengeful demon that wanted nothing more than to slaughter them, to rip them apart limb by limb and destroy any remnants that may remain after.

They needed to try and get away. Fast.

"R-R-Rista. W-We need to g-get out of here now," Joku whispered harshly to his sister whose eyes were transfixed on the ungodly sight straight ahead. She didn't even seem to hear his words and Joku had to repeat himself a little more forcefully than previous.

"R-Rista. We need to go now."

That seemed to snap Rista from her trance and turning her head slowly, Joku saw the living fear in those eyes that stared back at her.

"Joku I don-" was all she was able to manage before Joku saw a clawed hand flash out of nowhere, the hand grabbing at Rista's face brutally before launching her straight back into the stonewall behind her.

There was an explosion of dust and debris as Rista's body crashed into the wall and Joku was forced to cover his face when the initial blast hit him.

"Ristaaaaaa!"

Joku made a move forward, but was stopped abruptly when out of the cloud of dust emerged Rina flashing towards him, delivering a punch to his gut that sent him flying backwards with a mixture of spittle and blood erupting from his mouth upon contact. His body shot back, bouncing over and over, but was stopped suddenly by a fist to his lower back courtesy of Rina who had sped passed him to deliver the hit, reversing his trajectory and causing him to fly right into the same wall Rista had been hit into it.

Bones snapped as he hit the wall hard, the force behind the blow causing a small impression into the cracked stone to be seen when Joku slid down to the ground below. Groaning and clutching his right arm close to his chest, Jokue looked to the right and saw Rista's form buried beneath a pile of large rubble. Wincing in pain he made towards her, limping badly from his broken leg. Stumbling forward and falling to his hands and knees, he crawled, needing desperately to reach Rista.

Rina had other plans for them.

Sprinting towards the pair she landed mightily atop the pile Rista was buried under, earning a sharp gasp of pain from the additional weight atop from the woman. Sneering down at Joku, Rina grabbed at the back of Rista's head, clenching her claw tipped fingers around a great wad of the woman's hair before hiking her head up in an uncomfortable position.

Tears streamed from Rista's eyes as she locked eyes with her brother.

"Joku! I'm sorry! You have to run! You have t-" and Rina's clawed hand came abruptly down, ripping through Rista's neck. There was a moment of silence as Joku stared horror stricken, hearing the deathly gasp from Rina as the air left her. With a sharp tug Rina snapped Rista's head clean off her body, blood immediately spurting from her neck where her head had once been. Kicking the headless corpse forward Rina roared out a defiant challenge, Rista's head still within her grasp, her mouth set in a permanent 'o'.

Once done with her show of superiority Rista grinned wickedly at Joku, the smile pure of malice and vindictiveness. Tossing the head at his feet, she watched as it rolled a bit before settling before him, Rista's dead eyes staring up at her once twin brother. To add insult to injury Rina grabbed up the rest of Rista's body, holding it in both hands before spinning and launching it straight over the side of the bridge, waiting until she heard the distinct slap on water before peering coldly back at Joku.

The man didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to do. All he saw was his sister's face staring back at him, her pupils clouding over in death.

"Y-You bitch. You fucking bitch! You k-killed her!"

All Rina could do was stare at him coldly, her slit eyes still full of the fury and hatred she felt which would now be directed at Joku and Joku alone.

 _-With Naruto minutes prior-_

Naruto sped across the water's surface, his legs beating powerfully as he made his way towards one of the nearest small islands that dotted the bay. Finding land just a minute after pulling away from the rest of the group, the blonde didn't have long to wait after he had hopped up onto the shoreline, sensing two chakra sources coming his way, one much faster than the other.

Waiting patiently, Naruto shook his head when he felt the first energy source speed past and curve back around, knowing the obvious plan was to attack him from behind. That was something Naruto wouldn't allow.

Spinning on the balls of his feet at the very last moment, Naruto reached for empty air, his fingers spread wide before quickly clamping down, the fingers wrapping around a suddenly materialized fist belonging to none other than Guri.

"Only fools expend chakra when they have no reason to," Naruto said as he held Guri in check, a look of surprise adorning the man's features probably due to the fact this had never happened before.

Guri scowled but when he tried to break free of Naruto's hold Naruto merely tightened his grip further, causing Guri to gasp out in pain.

"You mothafucker I've got a reason! The reason is to kill you and take that sweet bounty!"

"You don't seem in a position to be killing anyone right now," Naruto commented almost conversationally, squeezing a bit harder around the fist with an added bonus of chakra, causing Guri to curse violently and sink to one knee.

"Let me go dammit!" Guri spat out and whipping his free arm out from the side, he sliced it at Naruto, the limb flickering as he enhanced its speed with his bloodline, Swift Release.

Naruto broke his hold over Guri, leaping back a distance to avoid the blow. While Guri rose and rubbed his injured hand to get the blood flowing in it again Naruto watched him impassively. "I've heard of you before, Guri of Kumo. You're known as the Speed Demon. I wonder if that speed lives up to its reputation."

"You're damn well sure it does. I'm the fastest ninja around. Faster than even you."

Naruto chuckled, kicking out both legs a few times to get the blood pumping. "Is that right? Well why don't we test that theory out then? Who will win I wonder. Will it be the Yellow Wraith of Konoha or Speed Demon from Kumo?"

Guri stopped rubbing his hand, a bloodthirsty smile coming to his lips. "You better believe it'll be me. And once I kill you I'm taking that head of yours and showing it to your sweet little sister if she isn't dead already. I can't wait to see all that hatred and sadness. It's gonna be so fucking great."

Naruto's neutral expression dropped at that remark, his blue eyes darkening to a color akin to cobalt while a frown found his lips. "Shut up."

"What was that? Does the Yellow Wraith not like me talking about his little baby sister? Tell you what. Once I find her I'll give her such a night to remember that she'll come begging for more. Oh yeah. That ass is gonna be all-" Guri wasn't allowed to finish that comment, silenced by a fist that rocketed into his face, the blow throwing him back into an immense boulder behind him.

"I told you to shut the hell up," Naruto said coldly, having used his enhanced speed to close the distance between the fighters in less than the blink of an eye. While he kept his physical emotions in check, anyone would be able to see the pure fury lacing his features, the anger evident in those very expressive blue eyes.

Guri groaned a bit as he rose from the small crater his body had made hitting the giant rock. Cracking both his neck and wiping a river of blood from his nose he then turned back to Naruto, "Damn you're fast. I didn't even see you move."

Naruto didn't respond, merely staring back at the man who lightly chuckled at the reaction. "What? Did I make the big bad Yellow Wraith mad? Good! Let's fucking see how good they say you really are!"

"Very well," Naruto said calmly, assuming the Namikaze fighting stance, both hands set in front of him with his legs shoulder width apart.

Guri trembled visibly in excitement at the prospect of fighting Naruto, his body shaking all over. But just as he was about to commence the fight with Naruto, the second of Naruto's enemies arrived in a brutish fashion, coming down from on high, fist cocked back as he descended upon Naruto.

Naruto had taken notice of Haori's approach early on and so when the large man had appeared above him the blonde was not surprised in the slightest. However, surprisingly the blonde did nothing to stop the attack, merely glancing up at the descending man and giving him a hard look before the fist made contact, the ground exploding from the sheer force and power behind the punch, covering the nearby area in a fine cloud of dust.

"Dammit Haori! The Yellow Wraith was all mine! You had no right!" Guri snapped at the much larger man.

Haori rose slowly from the crater he had formed upon impact, brushing away the dust particles that settled over him. "Oh shut up already. He's not dead."

"What the fuck does that mean? No one survives one of your punches!"

Haori snorted. "You idiot. Can't you see I didn't even hit him?"

Guri snapped his jaws closed at hearing that and turned towards where Naruto had last been. From out of the swirling dust emerged Naruto's still standing form, hands in pockets without any show of injury to speak of. Yet as both peered closer, they saw the obvious flicker pass across Naruto's form and a few seconds later Naruto's body began to waver, glowing a soft yellow before dissipating into nothing.

"Guess we know where the name Yellow Wraith comes from now," Haori commented dryly, spitting to clear his mouth of dust.

"You should also know it's impolite to interrupt someone about to go into battle."

Both Guri and Haori turned and saw Naruto a distance away, leaning nonchalantly back against another large boulder while peering back at the pair through the long bangs framing his face.

Haori grinned. "You certainly are a lively one, but are you as good as they really say you are?"

"You'll just have to find out now won't you?" Naruto replied, pushing himself off the rock and standing straight, facing his two opponents squarely.

Chortling in amusement Haori then looked over to Guri. "Hey Guri. Remember that deal we made on the bridge?"

"Yeah?"

"Well I'm about to be fucking rich." Haori slapped his hands together here, fingers curling over one another as he stared at Naruto intently.

The only hint Naruto had of what was coming was the soft rumbling underfoot. Reacting quickly he jumped to the side, his dodge saving him at the very last second from a painful death when five pillars of pure steel shot out from the ground, their tips possessing a keen point to them. However, Naruto didn't have very long to analyze what had just happened for as his left foot made contact with the ground, even more steel pillars arose from beneath. Thankfully they narrowly missed him.

Thinking quickly Naruto planted his feet on the side of a pole rather than the ground, sprinting up it as more steel emerged from below, shooting directly at his moving form. Dodging almost robotically Naruto flipped over this pole and twisted dangerously around the narrow tip of another, all the while thinking up a plan that would turn the tide in his favor.

This was when an idea sprang to mind. Quickly deciding to act on it Naruto leapt off the pillar he had been using, flipping through the air as he descended towards one of the oncoming steel poles.

'Let's see if this works!'

Focusing chakra into his hand, white lightning began to crackle in a wild dance around his fingers. Wasting no time Naruto threw his hand forward, hitting his target in a violent, electrifying clash. "Chidori!"

Naruto growled as he put his full weight into the attack, hoping the lightning would come through for him. 'Come on! Break it dammit!'

Yet the attack didn't go as planned. Pushing back against the attack, Naruto's plan was foiled when the steel resisted the lightning, pushing back with an even greater force and overpowering his chidori. Grunting, Naruto snapped his head back just in time to avoid being decapitated by the sharp metal, earning a small scratch across the cheek as a result.

Cursing his luck Naruto dropped back down to the ground, reaching up to wipe away the small trail of blood that leaked from his new cut.

Haori was full of laughter, bellowing out loudly in his amusement. Seeing the hardened gaze of Naruto he managed to control himself long enough to ask, "I bet you thought lightning would work huh? Thought my steel was made of just earth and fire? You fool. I don't use fire to create my steel. I use lightning, superheating my earth chakra to purify it and mold steel out of it. Lightning won't have any effect against me."

Naruto deadpanned at this, shaking his head in disappointment. 'Did he actually just give up an advantage like that? Did he really? The fool…At least I know what won't work on him now.'

Focusing back on the fight and realizing that Haori was waiting for him to respond Naruto recognized another flaw in his current situation. 'Why the hell is he waiting for me? What's wrong with these people? It's like they don't want to win or something. Seriously…'

"Yeah yeah. Can we get on with this already?"

Haori seemed to bristle somewhat at how Naruto just threw off his superiority like it was nothing. Like it was nothing!. "Damn you! We'll see how long that smart mouth of yours is flapping once I've ripped your head off your body." Lifting one foot off the ground Haori then slammed it back down, the ground shaking from the impact. "Koton: Nijō Jūnshintaihō (Steel Release: Double-Barreled Cannon)." From the ground on either side of the man emerged a cannon, sunlight gleaming off the dark, ebony metal. The canons drew Naruto's immediate attention, but not in the way a normal opponent viewed them when created.

'He can make cannons? Dammit if I could somehow do that with wind that'd be so awesome'

While Naruto fantasized over how amazing it would look if he could make wind cannons but completely disregarding the fact that one would hardly be able to see wind let alone cannons made out of wind, Haori was getting down to work. The man placed a hand on both cannon, a look of concentration passing over his face. It was what he shouted next that drew Naruto from his very unique and detailed imagination.

"Fire!"

From either cannon a ball of steel ripped from their barrels, their momentum so fast that Naruto barely had enough time to dodge, rolling to the side with enough force that it bruised his shoulder. From there he was sent rolling even more still when the cannonballs hit where he had been standing only moments prior, the blast of the twin explosions hitting the blonde while creating an equally huge explosion of dust.

Haori wasn't about to let Naruto recover and go on the offensive, training his cannons' sight on the now downed Naruto. "You think you'll get away that easy, Yellow Wraith? Not a chance! Tsuin taihō no danmaku (Barrage of the Twin Cannons)!" From each cannon a continuous stream of steel balls shot out, the ground reverberating with the force that backed each and every single cannonball.

Reacting quickly, Naruto rolled forward to get his feet back under him. Knowing he definitely didn't want to get hit by one lest he get hit by all of them, he then sprung not away from the cannonballs like a normal person would do, but towards them, darting in between each shot as he made a beeline straight for Haori. However, he had forgotten about one little issue.

"Forgot about me did you?" came a voice from the side.

Naruto instantly reacted, twisting his body to the left and crossing his arms out in front of him only to be hurtled away by a punch from Guri. Flying through thehair he scowled and drawing two kunai out, stabbed the ground to slow his backwards momentum. When he had at least slowed down he rose.

"You guys really aren't going to make this is easy for me are you?" he asked, earning confident smirks from his two opponents.

"We could always stop if you handed over that head of yours," Haori offered, receiving a dry, unbelieving expression from Naruto.

"Well as good as that offer sounds I think I'll keep my head thank you very much. I've grown quite partial to it."

"Good! We still have to see who's the faster ninja!" Guri then yelled out, his mind obviously fixed on one thing and one thing only, which drew Naruto's focus squarely on him.

"Oh well if you want that I can always offer a clone. I think it should be enough to handle you."

Guri grew a tick mark at the cheeky proposition. "That's not the same thing dammit!" Here he paused a beat, mulling over something in his head before raising his voice again. "Plus why the hell are you even doubting us anyways? We've had you on the defensive the entire time we've been fighting."

"Oh you call this a fight? Really?" Naruto seemed dubious. "Huh. That's weird. I call it a test to judge the strengths and skill of my opponents. Certainly not a fight." Here Naruto reached up and unzipped his flak jacket, tossing it off to the side once he had removed it. Neither noticed the small crater that formed when it hit the ground, both prurely focused on the blonde.

Turning his attention back on the two ninja he asked, "You sure you really want a fight?"

There was something in the confidence Naruto was exuding that set both Guri and Haori immediately on guard. Something was up and they watched the blonde carefully with wary eyes.

"Of course we do. That's what we've been waiting for the entire time. Now why the hell did you take off your flak jacket?" Guri questioned earning a pair of raised brows from Naruto in response.

"Why? Well actually that's a funny story really. You see I'm…" and Naruto disappeared from sight, surprising both ninja.

"…much faster without it."

The voice came from behind and both men spun around quickly. Being the faster of the two Guri was able to use his Swift Release to jump to the side, narrowly avoiding the punch aimed at him. However, Haori was not nearly as fast as him, receiving a hard hit to that back that launched him forward. But even with the amount of power added to Naruto's punch the man didn't go far, instead only sliding a few steps.

Thinking Guri was the more dangerous of the two at this point because of his speed Naruto focused on him first, sprinting quickly towards the man with kunai drawn in each hand. When he had reached Guri he shot one hand forward while the other came in a curving arc from the side meant to hit Guri in a pincer like movement.

Guri as expected was able to dodge his attack, bending his knees to crouch beneath both only to jab out forward with a hand narrowed in the shape of a spear. Knowing how deadly that strike could be after witnessing what it had done to Haku, Naruto of course dodged it, spinning back and around in evasion while in the same movement lashing out with his right foot.

Taking notice of this Guri flipped backwards, but was swiftly followed by Naruto, a fist coming in and aimed at Guri's face. Placing a wrist up to intercept the blow, Guri's world was suddenly flipped an entire ninety degrees as Naruto, never telegraphing his move, whipped his right leg out again, managing to clip Guri's ankles enough to draw them up and out from beneath him.

Guri cursed and placed his hands out beneath his falling form, vaulting backwards so as to avoid becoming at a disadvantage with Naruto. "Ooh this is exciting. More! Give me more!"

Naruto didn't have to respond because at that very moment he was turning around, ducking low beneath Haori's fist that came from behind, retaliating in turn with a hit to the man's stomach that earned the blonde a low grunt but surprisingly didn't move him an inch.

"Heh that tickled. That all the Yellow Wraith packs? Pathetic." Haori then grabbed for Naruto, but the blonde was too agile, placing his feet right up against one of Haori's arm and launching himself away.

This was where all conversation ended for a while, all three focused purely on the fight.

As Naruto flew through the air Guri jumped to intercept him, but when the jab came Naruto's body dissipated into nothingness just as it had done minutes ago and Guri growled in annoyance. Well growled until a kick came from above and nailed him in the lower back, sending him straight to the stony ground below.

Naruto didn't have time to applaud his counter for Haori didn't waste a beat, apparently not caring for his fellow shinobi, and attacked Naruto with an assault that sent the blonde into overdrive to fight, surprised with the relative speed at which the huge man fought at.

Two problems arose for Naruto as he fought Haori for the short minute the skirmish lasted. It wasn't that Naruto couldn't dodge the man's attempts. No, it was extremely easy for him to do that and he received not a single hit during the whole skirmish.

The first problem came after Naruto had delivered a hard hit to Haori. He had scored a major hit to the man's side, but the blow hardly seemed to have any effect on Haori, laughing it off as though it was nothing. This was fine and dandy, but after the tenth strike, after the twentieth strike, then that was becoming an issue for the blonde. Every hit he made did nothing to the huge Haori and Naruto's hand was starting to bruise over from the repeated strikes against a hard surface, especially since he was backing each punch with an infusion of chakra.

The second came about when Haori's fist came down, failing to hit Naruto once again, and instead hit one of the large boulders that lined this island's small beach, smashing it to mere rubble. Oh that was just wonderful for Naruto. Absolutely wonderful. None of his punches could hurt the man, but one punch from Haori would incapacitate him at best, explode him to little bits at worst, or decapitate him somewhere in between. This idea was expressed in a single thought by Naruto.

'Well fuck.'

Naruto was dodging yet another potential blow aimed at his face when his instincts kicked it into overdrive, warning him of an approach from behind. Acting as though he was unaware of the presence he waited for just the right moment, refusing to budge as Haori's head came in in the form of a head-butt, and then moved when he heard a move name being shouted out.

"Jinton: Dantō no Jutsu (Swift Release: Decapitation Technique)"

Guri's hand came in fast, the goal clearly to try and cut Naruto's head from his body. However, when his attack had nearly reached its goal Naruto simply disappeared, instead the space being filled with Haori's head, the two attacks colliding and creating a small shockwave before both were blown back from the force generated by the impact.

Guri came up slowly clutching his hand in pain while Haori rubbed tenderly at his head.

"Watch where you're putting that thick head of yours, Haori!"

"How about you don't get in my way next time," Haori snapped back and a moment of heated looks took place between the two.

"Hey uh guys," Naruto said into the tense moment and both men fixed looks on the blonde.

"What?!" they yelled in unison and Naruto blinked before pointing to the ground at their feet.

"You might want to watch where you're standing."

In response both looked down, however their situation didn't immediately click and Naruto formed a single seal with his right hand.

"Boom."

A massive explosion erupted beneath the feet of both Haori and Guri due in part to the countless explosive tags Naruto had placed while they were distracted arguing with one another. Debris was shot every which way and the air was so thick with smoke that Naruto had a hard time seeing through it.

"Huh…" Naruto started, shielding his eyes with one hand while rubbing the back of his head in his pondering with the other. "Was that too much boom for them to take?"

"Don't even count on it," came the reply and Naruto somersaulted forward, avoiding a punch courtesy of Haori.

"What's with you guys and attacking from behind? It's like you guys think that'll actually work."

"Then how about from above?" came a second response and Naruto's head snapped up, seeing Guri coming down fast. The man's body began rotating rapidly in a clockwise rotation, his limbs blurring together.

"Jinto: Chakuradoriru (Swift Release: Chakra Drill)!"

"You know you're really annoying," Naruto commented and did something surprising. Not sparing a thought on dodging, Naruto simply reached up with his fingers spread wide. Waiting for the right moment he then clamped down on the rapidly spinning figure that was Guri, stopping him dead in his tracks, hands wrapped around the man's wrists. Not even wasting a beat he then threw the man down into the ground in front of him, creating a small crater upon impact. Releasing his hold Naruto jumped away as he flashed through hand seals.

"Katon: Horou no Jutsu (Fire Release: Fire Prison)"

Naruto clapped his hands together then spread them wide before him. From his fingertips stretched lines of fire, which then broke off, flying at Guri and swirling about the man in the shape of a rapidly rotating sphere of fire.

With Guri now trapped Naruto then produced a clone beside him. Giving each other a nod they then acted simultaneously.

"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique)!"

"Fūton: Kamikaze (Wind Release: Divine Wind)!"

A myriad of small fireballs shot from Naruto's mouth while from the other five small tornadoes were created from him spinning in place rapidly. Once done the Naruto clone poofed out and the original watched his handiwork, the fire and wind merging together to form five gigantic fire tornadoes that rolled straight towards Guri.

The attack converged all at once on Guri's trapped position, the area erupting in an explosion of flames. If one were to listen closely, one would hear the screams of a man being eaten alive by fire and the sound sent a deathly shiver down Naruto's spine.

It was to Guri's good fortune that Haori was feeling merciful. Forming the necessary seals the man created a steel ramp beneath Guri, rolling him out of the fire. Still though the man had flames eating away at both flesh and clothing and to stop this Haori fashioned a dome of steel around Guri, cutting away the oxygen fueling the flames and thus putting them out.

However, the end result of Naruto's attack was still devastating. Half of Guri's hair was burnt off, the fire having eaten away greedily at it. Most of Guri's clothing was thankfully still intact, but from where it had been destroyed deep burn marks could be seen, Guri's flesh deep red and already showed the signs of blistering over; especially over his face where it had suffered the full force of the fire. In all, Guri looked terrible and the pain was evident on his burnt face as he slowly rose, breathing heavily as he tried to control the roars of agony his body wished to express.

"You fucking…bastard. I'm going to…kill you…nice and…slow for this."

Naruto honestly felt bad for Guri, but a fight was a fight and he was here to win. "You don't seem in the right condition to be doing any sort of killing."

"Just you…wait. Once I get my hands on you I'll…" but then the man stopped, his attention for once being redirected from Naruto to something not far off in the distance. "What the hell is that?"

Naruto blinked and turned his head in the same direction as Guri, wondering what on earth had attracted the eccentric man's attention.

Finally out of the pure heat of battle for the moment Naruto's mind ultimately registered the invisible assault that was now stifling him from all sides, the air thick with chakra. This presence, this completely demonic presence, was something he had felt only once before; a time so many years ago that it felt like a bad dream. Just the memory of that night coupled with this evil aura that now surrounded him made his body react violently, his body trembling, his breath hitching.

Flashbacks struck the blonde then and Naruto saw hazy apparitions of his parents giving his much younger self their final ever goodbyes. Violently shaking his head back and forth Naruto tried to do away with those memories, but instead of cooperating with him his mind drew upon the scene that would forever haunt his nightmares. For Naruto his eyes saw nothing but the hulking figure standing before him, its nine tails waving behind it as it laid its piercingly crimson eyes upon Naruto. It was the manifestation of evil incarnate, surrounded by gore and fire. It was what drew horror stories from those whose eyes settled on its form. It was a demon of hatred. It was the…

"Kyuubi…" The word came out as a low curse, filled with a combination of both horror and hatred. Naruto's fists clenched tightly at his sides, teeth gritting together as he stared off at the faraway bridge. He had nearly lost everything to the beast and his fury was palpable, so heavy that it did away with the foreign chakra of the beast that filled the air around him, somewhat clearing his thoughts that had been affected by the evil chakra. From this escape emerged a new thought that instantly hardened Naruto, pushing the negative emotions he had felt down and replacing it with an all-new feeling, the feeling of worry, the feeling of alarm, for if he could sense the Kyuubi's chakra then what had happened to…

"Rina…" Fear overwhelmed the blonde now. It was a fear even greater than that he held for the demon fox. Nothing could match the bond family had, especially for Naruto whose bonds were all precious, and Naruto's body visibly relaxed as he now knew what he had to do.

"What the fuck is this chakra? Guri questioned, fingers grabbing at the air as if trying to seize the chakra infused air around him with his bare hands. "This is your doing isn't it, Yellow Wraith?"

Naruto didn't respond, his eyes setting into a firm gaze that showed he meant business. Directing this stare at first Guri and then at Haori the blonde snapped his right hand down and out to the side. "Sorry boys. Change of plans. I'm ending this now."

Haori stepped up beside Guri, arms crossed across his massive chest. "And what do you mean by that? This fight is nowhere near finished." Here Haori pointed at Naruto. "While you've hurt Guri plenty you've still got me to deal with. You're full of crap if you think you can finish this fight anytime soon."

Naruto gave the man a grim smile. "That would be true if you weren't overlooking one small thing." Naruto let those words sink in, earning confused looks in return. "Come on. You seriously didn't think I was fighting at full strength did you? I mean really?"

Both ninja blinked in response at that, continuing to appear confused until the words finally registered in their minds and their faces began to become suffused in anger once again.

"You cocky little shit! I'm gonna rip that smirk right off that face of yours!"

"For once I agree with the idiot," Haori responded before flashing through a long string of hand seals. "Stop taking us so lightly! You're not going anywhere!" Once that was said he slammed his hands down, the veins along the sides of his neck sticking out as he pushed an enormous amount of his chakra into his technique.

"Kōton: Tenchigami no Gochū (Steel Release: Five Pillars of the Heaven and Earth Gods)!"

The ground rumbled under foot, the earth splitting at various points as steel burst forth from below. Unlike before where the poles were a few inches thick these steel structures were enormous, rising into the air like colossal giants. There were five in total and surrounding the three ninja they formed a rough pentagon in shape. After they had risen to their full heights chains of chakra shot out from either sides of the pillars, connecting them in place and forming a large domed barrier around the three ninja within.

However, Haori's technique was not finished just yet and with a foot stomp in the center of the dome a large seal formed, expanding out to fit the size of the area encircled by the pillars.

Naruto eyed the seal with a speculative look, his eyes flicking across it, instantly registering the key aspects and the purpose of the seal in this fight.

"Examining the seal are we?"

"It's an interesting seal. It's meant to keep things from getting in and out isn't it?"

"Of course. Here, watch what happens when something tries to escape." Reaching down Haori grabbed a fist-sized stone and tossed it at the one edge of the barrier. Upon impact with the chakra chains the rock was completely obliterated, instantly exploding into tiny fragments. When Haori turned back to Naruto the cocky smirk he had assumed melted away for the blonde hardly looked afraid, more peeved than anything.

"You done showing off yet?"

A tick mark found its way to Haori's forehead, but Guri placed an arm out in front of the huge man to stop him from charging at Naruto then and there.

"You've had your turn. Now it's my turn to show this arrogant prick that he's nothing to us."

Guri flashed through hand seals at this. "Jinto: Bunshin no Jutsu (Swift Release: Clone Technique)." Four clones appeared on either side of the eccentric blonde in a violent show of lightning, all identical in appearance. "Let's see how he does against five of me!"

Naruto cocked his head to the side at the display, still showing no fear or worry. "Well now that you've both gotten that out of the way I guess it's my turn then huh? Don't worry. I won't be as flashy." With his right hand still flexed downward Naruto bit the thumb of his left hand hard enough to draw blood. Lifting up his right sleeve so that his arm was exposed he then slid the bloody thumb across the underside of his forearm, swiping it across a black tattoo that he had placed there long ago.

The tattoo glowed for a second as it made contact with the blood then a sudden cloud of white smoke surrounded Naruto's arm. What emerged once the smoke had settled was a sword situated snugly in Naruto's right hand, the sword gleaming from the sunlight reflecting off of it. The sword was beautiful in all aspects, displaying a black handle and guard that led up to a simple yet magnificently keen edged blade, all ending at a dangerously sharp, curved tip that gleamed wickedly at the pair before Naruto.

"It's time to finish this once and for all," he said then, shifting so that both hands were now gripping the sword handle tightly.

"A sword? That's all you have? Hah! This'll be easy as shit!"

"You'd think that wouldn't you? If you're so confident why not attack?" Naruto responded, wielding the blade in front of him.

"Don't mind if I do!" With that Guri and his four clones flashed towards Naruto, all using their signature Swift Release thus making them even faster than the eye could see.

Yet this tactic would never work on Naruto. Having trained with the best for his entire life and honed his skills to almost perfection he didn't need to rely on sight alone to fight. He had his other senses as well as a keen ability of sensory that had been amplified over the many years since his parents' deaths.

It all came out as a single swipe to the naked eye. With one fluid movement Naruto drew the sword back before slashing the seemingly empty space in front of him, the blade producing a whirring sound as it cut through the air with its keen edge. Then as if satisfied with the move Naruto retracted the sword back, settling back into a defensive stance as he waited.

Nothing happened for many moments after, but then like magic all five of the Guri's rematerialized out of nowhere and all crashed to the ground, one clutching at his chest that now sported a long gash across it while the other four zapped out of existence.

Guri shakily rose from where he had unceremoniously landed, hand held up to his chest in an attempt to staunch the flow of blood that now cascaded down his front. With a cough of blood he tried speaking, "What the fuck…did you do?"

Naruto gave him a rebuking frown. "You know shinobi aren't supposed to give away their secrets."

"Mothafucker tell me what you just did!" The outburst caused Guri to cough up even blood, but apparently unphased with that he charged recklessly at Naruto in an attempt to get at him. "Tell me!"

"I just beat you. That's all."

"Wha-" was all Guri managed to get out because just a moment later his head hit the ground hard, rolling a few steps before stopping.

"Now it's just you and me," Naruto commented a beat later as he stood behind Guri's body that crashed to the ground in a crumbled heap, flicking his sword out to side to do away with the blood that now coated it. Turning, Naruto laid piercingly dark blue eyes upon Haori who faltered back a step, having just watched his fellow shinobi killed as if he were insignificant.

Naruto raised a single brow, having witnessed the small stumble. "Don't tell me you're only just becoming scared of me now." Naruto shook his head. "The trouble with you lot is that you're always wanting to show off; always wanting to kill for no reason except the need to make yourselves feel superior to those that you defeat. And you know what?" And Naruto paused to emphasize his next words. "That disgusts me."

"So what? You're going to preach to me now? Try to win me over with words? Pathetic! You're the one that's scared to fight me! Nothing can hurt me!"

Naruto offered Haori a grim smile. "Well then come on then. Let's see which is stronger. Your steel or my blade."

"I'll make you regret those words," Haori responded before quickly moving through hand seals. Cocking his head back, he spat out three globs of liquid steel that shot at Naruto the second they left his mouth. "Kōton: Triple Metal Dragon Bullet!"

The globs of liquid metal rapidly morphed into three gigantic dragons as they flew towards Naruto, the trio roaring out Haori's defiance as they charged. But Naruto didn't even seem to be paying them any mind, proceeding to walk casually towards Haori with a calm demeanor about him. Just as the dragons were about to hit Naruto simply slashed the air thrice, the movements barely discernable, but still moments later each dragon was split in half, their bodies losing form as they transformed back into thick globs of gooey steel.

"That won't work on me. Try again," Naruto said, still approaching the man.

Haori's face exhibited desperation as he saw his attack fail. Growling in protest he hunched forward, his body shaking, before he snapped back with a cry of outrage. "Kōton: Sanrokujū Danhensō (Steel Release: 360 Shrapnel Spears)!" From Haori's front shot forth hundreds of deadly steel fragments, all aimed at Naruto.

But this technique too was foiled for Naruto's retaliated with another slash of his sword, batting away the flying steel before him as though it was nothing and cleared a space of around three feet for him to walk through the shower of deadly missiles unharmed.

"Again."

"Damn you, Yellow Wraith!" Haori looked extremely desperate now, his breathing ragged.

"Damn me? Damn you, Haori. Your actions and choices have decided your own fate here today. You won't be leaving this country alive."

"We'll just see about that." Setting his feet shoulder width apart and drawing his fists back so both were pressing up against his sides he yelled out, "Kōton: Tetsu Kami no Tentai (Steel Release: Heavenly Body of the Iron God)!"

Naruto continued his walk seemingly unbothered with what was happening, watching on as Haori's entire body took on the composition of pure steel, the ground caving in beneath the man's added weight.

Bellowing out his challenge, Haori roared his self-confidence at the approaching blonde. "Come, Yellow Wraith! Try to strike me down now! Your blade won't hurt! Nothing can hurt me!"

Naruto was getting increasingly annoyed with how completely arrogant this man was and the fact he was wasting time on this filth when he needed to be somewhere else was seriously irritating the blonde.

Deciding to finish the fight here and now he lowered one hand from the sword's handle. Drawing the sword back behind him and pushing an incredible amount of chakra into his blade, Naruto then focused on changing the very nature of that build up of chakra, transforming it into a fine layer of wind chakra that coated the entire blade from base to tip.

Then Naruto did something not common among swordsmen. He threw the sword, offering a, "Here. Catch," in warning as he chucked it at Haori.

Seeing the sword flying at him Haori had the good sense to dodge the dangerous projectile, turning his head to the side in narrow avoidance as it just skimmed passed his cheek. In that single moment of watching the sword fly by him Haori never saw the bright flash of yellow in front of him, instead turning back to ridicule the blonde on the missed throw. "Where were you even aiming at? Pathetic. Pathetic! You're just so path-" and here he was stopped, stunned beyond belief as someone spoke behind him.

"I'm what exactly?"

Haori's form jerked as Naruto's blade pierced his body from behind, the sword slicing easily through his steel defense like butter before ultimately reaching his heart, the blade reemerging out his chest in a sickening squelch that ended with blood erupting from his front.

All was quiet save for the wind that washed across the stony beach as Haori stood there, blinking furiously while vainly trying to register what had happened. Grimacing in pain, he reached up with shaky hands to try and dislodge the blade from his chest, but his hands seemed to have lost their strength and simply fell back down to his sides. Wavering on his feet he slowly turned his head and stared back at Naruto, a glob of blood spewing from his mouth as he asked, "How did you…?"

Naruto sighed and with a vicious pull yanked the sword free of Haori's body. As the man stumbled forward, clutching at his heart Naruto explained. "People seem to forget I know the Flying Thunder God Technique as well as my own personal Flash Step. Once long ago this sword belonged to my mother and my overprotective father, wanting to always be available to her in a fight, placed his seal onto the pummel of the sword. I simply teleported to that seal."

"Damn you to…hell…" was all Haori was able to get out as he fell to his knees, his breath ragged as his very life force slipped through his fingers.

Naruto shook his head. "I'm afraid after what you've done that's exactly where you'll be heading, Haori. It's a shame really. All that potential wasted for evil. But as I say to all my opponents you will not be forgotten. Not by me at least. "

Haori gave one final chuckle at hearing that. The next words he would speak would be his last and they were aimed solely at Naruto in the form of a challenge, his breath hitching every so often as he did. "Since you beat me today you're not allowed to lose…not until we meet next. Whether it's…this life or the next…I swear I'll reincarnate a thousand times before…letting you rest in peace. Remember me! I am your executioner!" And his voice trailed off, "I am your…death" and with that his body slumped over in death, the final remnants of his life leaving his black eyes.

Naruto stared sadly down at the now dead form of his once opponent, shaking his head in regret. While it was the job of a shinobi to kill, it was never the job of a shinobi to enjoy it and seeing Haori now dead at his feet once again reaffirmed to Naruto how much he hated that particular requirement of the job. "Arrogance and egotism never aid a shinobi, they only hinder. If you had realized that sooner you may have lived past today."

After using Haori's shirt as a cloth to wipe the blood off his sword, Naruto offered a nod in salute towards both Haori then Guri's decapitated form before turning his back to them. Staring off into the distance at the bridge, the blonde activated the seals in his sandals before flash stepping away, leaving behind only bloody carnage in his wake as he made with all due haste back to the bridge, all the while wondering if he was too late.

 _-Back on the Bridge-_

Naruto arrived on the bridge to a gruesome scene. Blood was literally everywhere. The body parts of those that had been in the proximity of Zabuza's destruction littered the ground and those that had survived could be seen either limping or crawling away, some missing legs or quite possibly their entire lower half if they had been too close to the explosion. But the most terrifying part of all for Naruto had to be what he saw when he turned and saw Rina, clutching the shrieking form of Joku between her clawed hands, pulling him from end to end so much so that Naruto could hear his bones popping as he was stretched painfully apart.

Rina had no blood to be seen on her, but for Naruto the sight of the orange, malevolent chakra surrounding her was many times worse than if she had been soaked in blood.

Peering quickly around he was able to see the unmoving forms of Sasuke and Shino, but while he seriously wanted to go to their aid if they were even still alive, he had a much more pressing issue to address.

Tentatively Naruto approached Rina, his sensory ability freaking out the closer he got to her. The chakra rolling off his sister was downright scary to feel, but this was his sister we were talking about so he continued to close the gap between them, noticing she still didn't appear to know he was there.

"Rina?" he started, inching a bit closer to her.

Rina's gaze, which had previously been on the squirming form in her grip, snapped to him and Naruto saw the flash of recognition in those slitted eyes.

"Nii-san…?" she responded and thankfully for Joku she stopped her vicious pulling.

"Yeah that's right Rina. It's me. How are you feeling?"

Rina growled and flicked her gaze back up to Joku who screamed again as she gave him a yank. "Angry. So so angry!"

Naruto eyed Joku for a split second before directing his attention back on Rina, moving a bit closer to her as he did so. "Why are you angry?"

"Because…because they killed them! They killed them right in front of me!"

"Who killed who Rina?" Naruto asked, thinking he knew the answer.

"The twins! They killed…Sasuke and Shino." The boys' names came out more of a whisper to Naruto and he watched Rina look sadly at her teammates' forms.

"Did they? Well maybe I should check to see if that's true." Creating two clones Naruto watched as they moved to both boys, placing their fingers to necks to check for a pulse. Naruto waited a long moment, watching the two carefully. When he received nods and small smiles from the pair he nodded in return before dispersing them and turning back to Rina.

"You can relax Rina. They're not dead. Only unconscious."

The surprise on Rina's face was strikingly obvious and she snapped her sight back on their forms. "They are?"

"Yeah they are. Everything's all right."

"No no no everything's not all right. He has to die!"

Naruto shook his head and stopped moving, focusing half on Rina and half on something else. "No he doesn't. Please put him down."

Joku squealed like a stuck pig as Rina growled and tugged on him. "Fuck! It fucking hurts! Let me go!"

"I said let him go Rina." There was real power in Naruto's voice now and it caught Rina's immediate attention. Still though she resisted, shaking her head violently from side to side as if fighting off something and Naruto sighed in slight defeat.

"I really didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice." Raising his hands up before him Naruto focused all his attention on what he was doing.

Yellow glowing adamantine chains burst from the ground beneath Rina, instantly surrounding her and clamping down tight. Rina roared out in defiance and shook vigorously to try and shake them off, dropping Joku in the process, but the chains held firm much to her utmost displeasure. In the conflict that ensued her arms were bound tightly up against her sides, thus releasing the form of Joku who bounced painfully back to ground and watched on with wide eyes.

As Naruto watched his sister's futile struggle, the ground between them burst and the remaining chains that had been buried beneath the surface saw daylight, the two chains seen connected to the soles of Naruto's feet where he had created them to emerge from his body.

The Adamantine Sealing Chains, a gift inherited by only a rare few of the Uzumaki Clan had been greatly sought after by many nations. A type of fūinjutsu by nature, there was really no knowledge of how the ability was passed down, the only thought being that it required a certain pairing of genes to actually be accessible by the owner. However, those that were born with the power to summon these amazingly powerful chains were able to do all sorts of things with them for they had a varying number of uses. The most obvious power they possessed was the power to nullify the power a Bijū possessed, thus giving the user dominance over the beast. This was mostly the reason that these types of users were greedily hunted down by other nations for the person that controlled the user literally controlled a Bijū.

Naruto watched this power with his very eyes now, observing from a distance the chains literally suck away the orange chakra that had previously been surrounding Rina. Slowly Rina's attempts at breaking free dimmed and after a few more seconds all the evil chakra that had been resonating from her ceased. When he finally could not sense any more remaining chakra of the Kyuubi originating from his sister he released his chains, watching as they dissipated before approaching Rina.

"Rina? You all right?"

No response.

"Rina?" Naruto tried again and this time was answered with the slight shift of his sister's head, her now violet eyes staring back up at him and meeting his ocean blue eyes.

"Nii-san?"

Naruto smiled. "I'm glad you're safe."

Rina offered a small smile in return, but then her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Suddenly her body began shaking and a cry issued from her as she stared down at the ground. "I-I killed her. I killed her and I…"

"Shhh Rina. It's all right," Naruto replied hurriedly, now only realizing that this was Rina's first ever kill and to do so in such a fashion, influenced by the Kyuubi, didn't help the matter.

"But I killed her…so horribly…I'm a…I'm a monster Nii-san." Now her gaze was fully on him and Naruto could see the obvious terror and self-revulsion in those tear filled eyes.

"It's all right Rina. You weren't in control of your body. Now you are. You aren't at fault here." Hastily Naruto moved to the ground beside her, pulling her head onto his lap before he slowly started to stroke her hair.

Rina turned into him, burying her face into his stomach as she openly wept, her body racked with her sobs.

Naruto let her release all those negative emotions she was feeling, knowing that he would definitely have to talk to her about both the first kill and the fact she had used the dangerous chakra that belonged to the greatest demon of all time. But now was not the time and when he was satisfied she had released most of all those emotions that had been welled up within her he used a technique that his grandmother figure, Tsunade, had taught him that was meant for patients and put Rina into a deep sleep.

Staring down at her reddened face Naruto could only sigh in defeat before gently laying her down on her back and standing up.

Hearing a soft scuff to the side Naruto turned before raising an eyebrow, watching as Joku tried to slowly slink away without anyone noticing. "And where do you think you're going?"

Joku froze in place, not daring to look at Naruto. "Uh…err…just going to try and find my sister's body is all?"

Naruto shook his head. "No you're not. I've still got questions for you." Forming a clone he had it knock the man out. Binding Joku he then placed him in one of his empty sealing scrolls specifically designed for holding prisoners. 'That should hold him until I get back to Konoha. I'm sure T.I. will just love getting their hands on him. Who knows what he knows.'

Naruto's pondering was suddenly broken when he heard a familiar yell. Turning, Naruto watched as a substantial crowd of people ran towards him with a myriad of weapons and torches, all appearing grim and ready for a fight. What surprised Naruto the most was that the three that led the charge were none other than Tazuna, Inari, and even more surprising to the blonde the peaceful Tsunami, an uncharacteristic scowl marring her rather beautiful features as she waved around her frying pan menacingly.

"Naruto-nii-san!" Inari yelled as he neared, waving his right arm over his head while in the other he held a small crossbow.

'Nii-san? Since when am I nii-san?'

Shaking away the thought Naruto waved back to the approaching group who stopped in front of him. Many looked around to assess the horrible scene while others hurriedly came up to Naruto, Tazuna and his family spearheading the approach.

"Are you all right Naruto-nii-san?" Inari hurriedly asked, looking slightly winded from his run across the long bridge.

Chuckling Naruto placed a hand on the boy's hat and ruffled it and his hair up a bit. "Yeah yeah I'm all right. What's this?" and Naruto waved his hand out to indicate the large mob of villagers now standing before him.

"It's your backup, Naruto-san," Tazuna answered and Tsunami nodded resolutely beside him although Naruto could easily tell it would have horrified her to actually fight had she needed to her.

'Such a kind and gentle soul in this dark world'

"Well as you can see the backup is not needed, but thank you anyway. Right now though I need to get my Genin back to the village. They need tending stat."

"We can help with that," Tazuna immediately offered and not even waiting for a reply ordered three of his men to do just that. Naruto watched as one cradled Rina's small form in his arms, but made sure the other two were careful in handling the two boys who were still very much injured from their fight.

Once this was completed Naruto set his eyes back on Tazuna, but the man's eyes were already on the bridge, assessing the damage that had been done during the fight. Seeing Tazuna's slight frown Naruto rubbed the back of his head and offered a weak laugh. "Sorry for the mess, Tazuna-san. I guess the fighting here was a bit more intense than we originally thought it would be."

Tazuna blinked and turned back to Naruto, waving his hand dismissively at the comment. "It's nothing a good fixer upper can't fix, my boy. It only adds a few more days to our work. Not a problem especially with Gato gone. He is gone correct?" Tazuna's eyes grew serious as he asked the last question.

Naruto viewed the bridge carefully, his eyes falling across every body he saw. "I don't see him here. He either got caught in the explosion that I think Zabuza set off or he got away. Either way I'll have a squad come back later to guard the village for a while. If they see him, they'll arrest him on the spot for the crimes he's committed here."

There was obvious relief on the man's face at hearing that and he bowed thankfully. "Thank you for that, Naruto-san. It puts my old heart at ease knowing we are finally free from Gato's greedy hands. I can't thank you enough for you've done."

"Think nothing of it, Tazuna-san. Now then. While I'd love to stay and chat, there's a certain man I've got to check up on. If you'll excuse me." Bowing his head politely Naruto made his way towards the prone figure hanging over the edge of the bridge, standing over him once there.

"Jeez Zabuza. What the hell did get yourself into? Receiving no answer Naruto sighed and reached down, hauling the unconscious man over his shoulder.

"It doesn't matter. Let's get you back to the village eh?" With that Naruto began a slow walk back, idly talking with some of the villagers that walked beside him while at the same time keeping a careful watch on the three men carrying his Genin charges. They had fought valiantly today and he'd be damned if he let them get hurt more than they already had.

XxX

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Naruto asked Rina as they sat atop a cliff overlooking the sea, the sun almost disappearing over the horizon.

"Hmm…?" Rina hummed out, her eyes closed as she basked in the warmth the dying sun offered. "Oh yeah. It's beautiful."

"Sort of reminds me of all those times I took you up to sit on dad's head. You used to love doing that."

Rina smiled fondly at the memories. "I still do. Sometimes I go up there and talk with him while you're away on missions," she admitted, not embarrassed by the fact. While her brother had told her everything he knew about their father and mother, ranging from how amazing they were all the way to the fear their mother had induced when she was pissed off, there was only so much words could do for someone that had never met them. They were still strangers in a way and the only connection Rina ever found concerning them was when she was atop her father's stony head, talking about nothing in particular for hours until the sun was well down.

Rina heard Naruto sigh and turning, she saw him leaning back onto his hands, his eyes staring off at the horizon. "I'm sorry I haven't been around as much as I'd like to. Jiji is working me to the bone, but…" and he seemed to brighten a bit, "I guess that's not a problem anymore eh?"

Rina smiled and bobbed her head in agreement. "Yeah. Now I have to call you Naruto-sensei."

She watched as he laughed before growing a wicked smirk. "But you won't have to call me that for long."

Cocking her head to the side, Rina gave him a perplexed look. "And why's that?"

Naruto gave her one of his famous foxy grins. "Because in a few years you'll be calling me Hokage-sama or Lord Hokage if you prefer.

Rina snorted but offered him a smile, still amused with his comment. The smile, however, dropped almost immediately when she thought of something. The topic of Naruto being Hokage had been a topic that had been growing in displeasure for the young girl. Ever since that day two years ago when the Third Hokage had named Naruto his successor she had heard talk of how great a Hokage Naruto would be, how amazing it must be for him to know he would be one of the most powerful figures in all the land. But questions arose for Rina. Did Naruto really want to be Hokage? Would he be happy being stuck in the village?

"Do you really want to be one, Nii-san? You know. A Kage?"

Rina saw mirth not displeasure in his eyes as he turned to her then. "Tell me Rina. Who else is qualified enough to be Hokage in the village? Kakashi?" and the name immediately brought up images revolving around a giggling Kakashi with his nose buried in his smut filled book.

"Ero-sensei?"

Rina's mind shifted to a hot springs where she saw Jiraiya giggling like a little school girl as he furiously wrote his 'research' down and spied on bathing women.

She heard Naruto chuckle, obviously having seen her reaction to the names.

"What about Tsunada-baa-chan?" Rina raised and heard Naruto laugh.

"What? The compulsive gambler that would bet away every last dime the village had?"

Rina flushed, having forgotten about that one vice Tsunade as well as many of the more powerful ninja seemed to have. It was strange and yet not strange at the same time for the girl. All these amazingly strong ninja had some quirk about them that seemed to define them. Kakashi and his smut, Jiraiya and his porn, and Tsunade with her mind-boggling addiction to gambling even after a losing streak that spanned years. But Rina understood it somewhat as well. Everyone had a way of coping what they had seen and done in their lives and if each of those people found solace in those vices power to them. This did raise an interesting thought though…

"Hey Nii-san? If Ero-sensei has his porn and Tsunada-baa-chan has her gambling, what do you have to cope with being a ninja?"

She watched with great satisfaction as Naruto sputtered at the unusual question, his face growing an unusual shade of pink to it.

"W-What do you mean, Rina? I'm not weird like they are."

Rina gave him an 'I don't believe you for a moment' look before shrugging her shoulders. "If you don't want to tell me it's fine. I'll just have to ask one of your friends."

Naruto's eyes widened at that, a definite gulp being heard as he fidgeted almost nervously. "Now now Rina. That wouldn't be very nice of you to do."

Rina offered the blonde a malicious smile. "Oh, I know it isn't nice. That's why I'm doing it." Here she tapped her chin in thought. "I wonder what the big bad Yellow Wraith has to hide. Surely not something perverted right?"

Naruto stared at her and she stared at Naruto and a few moments of tense silence passed between them before they both broke out into laughter.

As they continued to talk neither seemed to notice the light leave them as the sun disappeared over the horizon. It seemed a surprise to them when they finally realized the moon was now up, shining its pale glow over the sea below causing the waters to take on a sparkling, tantalizing view for the two siblings.

It was during a long lull in the conversation that Rina heard a light snap behind her. Making to turn her head, she was stopped when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. Blinking she stopped and swiveled around to face Naruto again who had a grave look to his face.

"Nii-san?" she asked.

"Don't turn around Rina," he responded and the girl felt his hold on her tighten just a fraction more.

"What do you mean?" she questioned him, confused and somewhat startled by his sudden mood switch.

"I'll only warn you once Rina. Whatever you do, don't turn around. There are some things in this world that are meant to be left unseen."

Rina was about to respond when her body involuntarily stiffened as she felt something cold slide across her neck. It wasn't a physical feeling, but it damn well could have been so powerful a response did it provoke.

"Keep staring forward Rina," Naruto ordered, but his voice sounded faint in her ear, quickly becoming overpowered by a soft murmur that was only growing in volume. She couldn't understand or even recognize what words were being said, but the sound was freaking her out and her breath was coming out more labored as a result.

Then a yell was heard and it sounded very much like Sasuke. "Rina! Help!"

Rina gritted her teeth, but still didn't turn around, heeding the warning her brother had imparted on her.

"Rina! Oh Kami help us you dobe!"

"I can't…" came her soft reply, barely a whisper to even her.

The next thing she heard was a gurgling noise and a heavy thud right behind her and she resisted the urge to turn, holding her head in her hands.

"Rina…why?" came a soft voice from behind, so filled with pain and almost…betrayal that Rina's heart openly wept. She just couldn't do this anymore. She had to see, she had to know what was going on.

Slowly her head turned; slowly she lowered her hands from her face. Gulping, she looked back over her shoulder and saw that there was…nothing?

A soft breeze drifted across the cliff's peak as Rina stared deeply into the overwhelmingly empty darkness. She watched as the grass died, withering away into blackened heaps. She watched as the pale light of the moon turned into a sickly yellow, making everything it touched appear distorted and almost twisted. But most of all she watched the three figures that emerged from the shadows, those disgustingly horrid figures that made her want to scream out in both disgust and overwhelming sadness.

Walking towards her with obvious limps, their bodies hunched over with limbs trailing along the ground, were Shino, Sasuke, and Haku, but not as Rina remembered them. Their faces were gaunt, their skin stretched tightly across the face. What once had been beautifully smooth and colored skin now was a sickly pale white, maggots suffusing open wounds whose extremely potent smell from obvious infection made Rina nearly gag from the putrid odor she was inhaling. A thick ichor dripped from these wounds, not blood, but a black gunk that dribbled to the ground as they moved towards her. But the worst part were their eyes, clouded over in obvious death but showing an accusatory look that was directed wholly on Rina alone, the look of betrayal evident in those dead orbs that seemed to beg the question. Why?

Rina felt a soft touch on her shoulder. Turning, she stared in horror at Naruto whose face was rapidly morphing into something hideous, his skin too stretching tight across his body so that what she saw after was mere skin and bones, his body so rake thin and drawn that she stumbled away from him in fear, grabbing at the ground beneath her to pull her body away.

Then she heard them, their voices full of both scorn and utter contempt.

"Why did you let this happen Rina?" they all seemed to ask as one, edging closer to her while she attempted to expand the distance.

"Why did you let us die?"

"I-I didn't!"

"It's your fault. You let this happen. You could have stopped it. You could have saved us."

"It's not my fault! It's not my fault!"

In her rapid retreat from all four horrid creatures that had once been her friends and family Rina quickly found herself at the edge of the cliff, the sound of the crashing waves far below almost begging her to jump into its depths. Darting her gaze down to the water for a quick look then back up she gasped when she saw all four of them had closed the distance, standing side by side as they stared at her with haggard appearances that were full of utter disdain.

Rina attempted to pull away from them, but applying weight near the edge of the cliff caused rock underhand to come loose and she nearly tumbled over the side just from that, barely catching herself in the knick of time by grabbing onto a nearby root.

"You're worthless," came the raspy voice of her brother. "You're useless. You don't deserve to be a ninja."

Rina fought hard to stay in control of her emotions, furiously biting at her lower lip to hold back a small sob. However, the next words from Naruto struck her heart deeply.

"Our parents would be disappointed in you."

That got Rina and tears begin to fall from her eyes, quickly covered up as Rina buried her face in her hands. If she had looked up she would have seen a look of triumph pass across all four of the disgusting facing staring down at her, watching her weep with joy.

"Can't save your friends. Can't fight with your own power. You're worthless as a ninja. Just die already!"

Rina's body shot bolt up right, her eyes snapping open as she emerged from that hellish nightmare. A cold sweat covered her and her breathing was labored as a result of the terrible picture her mind had just conjured up.

'What was that?' she asked herself, clutching at her chest and breathing deeply in order to slow down her rapidly beating heart. Struggling to remember her dream, she was only met with failure as the previously vivid memories slipped like water through her fingers as she tried to draw them back up.

'Dammit. I can't even remember what scared me now?!' Growling in irritation, she got out of her cot and quickly changed out of her now sweat drenched shirt before proceeding out of her room and out into the hallway beyond.

The house was quiet, very quiet in fact and moonlight shone through the windows indicating it was well into the night. Having one goal in mind Rina moved a few rooms down before stopping just short of the wooden door leading to a particular room. Leaning up against the cool wall she thought over recent history, using this moment as an excuse both to gather her thoughts and to procrastinate going in.

This was the second night after the battle on the bridge had ended and many things had occurred since then. After the fight the remaining fighters for Gato had been rounded up and forced into the small cell the town sported, and were now guarded twenty-four seven in shifts by many of the village people. Those that were not on guard duty, however, were enjoying the time of their lives, partying well into the early hours of the morning in their jubilation over Gato's hold over them finally being wiped away. And all thanks for that were directed at the small group of ninja that had fought for them in their darkest hours and however they did it had come out victorious in the end. They were treated like heroes and, although she and Naruto were asked vigorously to attend to the roaring festivities in the middle of town, they had had to refuse for one reason and one reason only.

Upon this thought Rina sighed and stepped up, drawing the door to the side before moving into the room. Before her lying on well cushioned cots were three individuals: Shino, Sasuke, and Haku who were covered from head to toe with bandages. They had all sustained very problematic injuries, but thanks to Naruto's minor skill in healing, most of their injuries were repaired enough so as to draw them away from Death's door and allow their bodies to heal naturally on their own. Yet because of his lacking in medical knowledge Naruto had been unable to truly heal Haku and had been forced to keep her bound under his homeostasis seal, both time and space cut off for the time being. A plan had been discussed among them and it was agreed, grudgingly so on Zabuza's part, to bring Haku back to Konoha and seek medical treatment from the archetype of medicine if there had ever been one, Senju Tsunade.

A sudden image struck Rina as she stared down at her three friends, of maggot eaten meat, of dead eyes that pinned her beneath them with their cruel fury and she was forced to grab onto a nearby table to steady herself, her body shaking like crazy. Refusing to let go until her breathing was brought back under control she wondered what that awful mental picture had been about and a cold sensation swept through her body.

"They're fine you know," came a soft voice from behind and the chill was instantly swept away as Rina turned her attention on her brother and sensei standing in the doorway.

"Sasuke and Shino should wake up some time tomorrow. We'll wait a day after they do, of course, before heading back to Konoha for Haku's treatmenet."

Rina nodded and looked down at the unmoving form of Haku, black seals covering her entire body. "Will she survive that much time without being healed?"

Naruto snorted lightly and proceeded into the room. Grabbing an extra cot out of the corner he placed it down beside Haku. "As long as she has those seals on her it's like no time is passing at all for her. She's virtually frozen in space. That gives us plenty of time to get her back home."

Rina nodded again, not knowing what else to do or say. Seeing this Naruto moved over to her and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before guiding her towards the cot he had just laid out. "Sleep Rina. We've got a few busy days ahead of us and with Sasuke and Shino injured I'm going to need you at your best heading back. Got that?"

"Got it, Nii-san." Moving beneath the covers of the cot she stared at his back as he moved to the door. "Hey Nii-san?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

Naruto blinked and stared back over his shoulder at her. "Thanks for what?"

"For being an awesome sensei and being a total badass."

Offering her an amused chuckle he nodded back to her before closing the door behind him, but not before offering a final, "Sleep well Rina."

Smiling softly Rina turned onto her side so that she was facing Haku. Tucking her hands under her head she gazed at the older girl warmly, glad that she had met Haku on this mission. "Don't worry Haku-chan. We'll get you fixed up and you'll be good as new. Just you wait and see." With that said Rina closed her eyes and drifted off into a restful sleep, her dreams far off from the horrid nightmare she had experienced just a short time ago.

XxX

One and a half ways later found the squad from Genin standing at the foot of the now complete bridge connecting Wave Country to the main continent. While Naruto hadn't wanted to make a big fuss about their leaving word had gotten around and when his team accompanied by Zabuza had walked up they were met with the sight of the entire populace of the village standing there.

Once the villagers had taken notice of them they had immediately and enthusiastically yelling and clapping with happy smiles adorning their faces. Naruto had taken it in stride, raising his hand up to wave to them, but the rest of his team had looked down, obviously embarrassed by the praise, even Sasuke to a lesser degree.

Now here they were, all the villagers massed behind a grinning Tazuna and his family.

"You really saved us you know, Naruto-san," Tazune started, but Naruto bat the comment away.

"It's the least we could do. It was are pleasure right kiddies?" He glanced down at his three Genin who looked, besides Rina for obvious reasons, as though they had just served as backup mummies in a cheesy horror movie.

"Of course, Nii-san!"

"I agree."

"Hn."

Chuckling at their individual responses he turned back to Tazuna and raised his hand. "See? Our honor."

Tazuna quickly took the offered hand and shook it vigorously. "Still, we're forever in your debt."

Naruto hummed softly to himself and reached into one of his pouches. Removing a thin slip of paper he handed it quickly to Tazuna who took it with a curious look on his face. Before the man could examine the offering Naruto winked at him. "And here's a little something from me personally. I really hope it gets this country back in its feet."

Tazuna blinked and stared down at the paper, which just so happened to be a check totaling near a third of Gato's total fortune. Naruto had turned away, but couldn't help but smirk when he heard a sudden thud and Inari's sudden, "Jiji! What's wrong?!"

Approaching the masked man that stood off to the side of the major group Naruto held out his hand a second time, offering it to the man. "So guess this is it eh? Back to Kiri for you?"

Zabuza scoffed and purposely crossed his arms across his chest. "You already know so why ask?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Just trying to start off a goodbye right."

Zabuza snorted, but there was a hint of amusement in his dead eyes. "You got what you promised, Namikaze?"

Grinning Naruto didn't even try to provoke the man and simply withdrew another slip of paper from his pouch. Handing it to Zabuza who readily took it he nodded. "Just as promised." And he offered the man a cheeky grin. "Aren't you glad you chose me over Gato?"

 _-Flashback to 4 Days Before-_

Naruto had just finished healing the injuries he had caused Haku as he walked into the living room to the small house Zabuza and her had taken to calling home. Wiping his hands clean of blood, Naruto could literally feel Zabuza boring holes in the back of his head and sighing he turned to rest his full attention on the man, his tone matter of fact as he jumped right to the point.

"Listen. What will it take to get you both on our side and against Gato?"

Zabuza's brow drew together as he assessed the blonde in front of him giving the blonde a look that obviously read 'The fuck you talking about?'

Sighing again Naruto moved to the small fireplace and leaned against the wall beside it, all the while feeling Zabuza's cold stare on him. Crossing his arms he gave the man a serious look, a look that meant business and nothing but. "It's what I said. I'd rather have you fighting on our side rather than fighting you and the rest of those ninja Gato decided to hire."

This drew Zabuza's attention, but did not diminish his suspicion of the dangerous blonde. "Go on."

Naruto frowned. "You want a reason for why I want you on my side and why I don't want to kill you? Well fine there's the obvious. Strategically it's better with more hands on deck and squaring off against two less enemies when all of you are set to attack us tomorrow."

Zabuza's eyes narrowed. He had an inkling of where this was going, but better to make sure. "Explain what you mean by all of us."

Naruto feigned surprise. "Oh you didn't know? Gato's just using you. Whether you win or lose tomorrow it really doesn't matter. Gato's either going to let me kill you or one of those cronies of his. Whatever happens tomorrow in Gato's head you're dead no matter what."

Watching the man carefully he saw, while Zabuza did keep it bottled up, the slight tightening of fists and the flash of fury cross his eyes.

"And why should I believe you?"

Naruto shrugged. "No reason you should, but I think you'll find me more trustworthy than that…to put it lightly…that dick."

Zabuza glared at him, but Naruto didn't shirk away and stared back and Zabuza was momentarily taken aback by the sincerity he saw in those deep blue eyes. Still, he wasn't going to just outright trust the blonde, not yet anyways.

"But that isn't all. There's obviously another reason why you want us on your side rather than just killing us outright like a real shinobi would."

Naruto chuckled and flicked his eyes towards the bedroom where both Haku and Rina were. "Let's just say my sister has taken quite a liking to Haku. I'd really like to prevent having to kill her if there was another option for me."

"I never knew the Yellow Wraith was so gentle-hearted. It almost makes me sick."

Naruto laid piercing blue eyes on him. "I don't care how you see me, Zabuza, but I like preserving lives whenever possible. You might enjoy killing, but I don't."

Zabuza rolled his eyes. "What kind of ninja are you to not enjoy killing?"

Naruto offered a grim smile. "The sane kind."

When he saw Zabuza about to speak again Naruto raised his hand to stop him, holding out three fingers. "I have three propositions for you. Will you at least hear them out?"

Zabuza eyed the blonde closely, but grudgingly nodded his head in a clear sign for him to speak.

"Now as we're both aware I could have killed Haku easily today. The same goes for you, especially in your current condition." Saying this Naruto immediately received a pissed off look from Zabuza, but he paid no mind to it and continued on as though he hadn't seen it. "Anyways, I didn't come here to fight and would have preferred not to, but that's ancient history now. Now onto the propositions. I'll get right to the point. I'm willing to offer one thing today for Kiri and one thing later on if you choose my side."

That got Zabuza's immediate attention and his eyes stared at Naruto intently.

Naruto gave no reaction to the obvious change in Zabuza's temperament, but inwardly he was ecstatic. 'I have him hooked. Now it's time to reel him in'

"During a little adventure into Gato's eyesore of a mansion I stumbled across his checkbook. After examining the documents I stole and after a little practice, I can confidently say I can copy his signature down to the letter. Now with that said, I would like to offer you and Kiri one-third of Gato's very substantial fortune here and now," that definitely got his attention and interest judging from the widening of those dead eyes,"…if you accept my offer. Of course out of caution I will give half now, half after the fight, but rest assured the money will all be yours if you decide correctly."

Naruto never let Zabuza cut in, continuing on with his negotiations. "Next, when I return to my village I will personally speak with the Hokage and suggest for an Anbu squad of our best soldiers to travel to Kiri and aid in the rebellion there." Here Naruto held up one finger to stop the response he saw was coming. "Yes, I know that isn't much, but Konoha can't afford showing favorites or participation in the civil war. Bad business and all that. But rest assured, they will be the best of the best I promise you."

Zabuza struggled to come up with an appropriate answer to all these offers, but when he did he said, "Kiri and Konoha aren't exactly allies. There's no reason you should be doing this just for a mission."

Tapping the side of his head Naruto grinned back. "Not exactly allies right now true. But with this help, I have strong faith that the resistance will win out. When they do I hope for parties from either village to discuss terms for an alliance, benefitting not only Kiri, but Konoha as well. Friends are important nowadays you know."

He seemed to be gaining ground in converting Zabuza, but Naruto knew the man was sharp and when he asked his next question Naruto's assumptions were correct.

"Tell me the third offer."

Naruto saw Zabuza staring at him closely now, much closer than before. Sighing he ran a hand through his hair as he flicked his gaze back to the room down the hall.

"Before I tell you I have to ask you a question." And he paused. "What is Haku to you?"

The blonde watched on with calculating blue eyes as Zabuza's body visibly stiffened at the question, his eyes narrowing once again in suspicion.

Naruto saw the resistance Zabuza had to answering the question. Sighing he put his hands up in a placating manner. "I only ask because the answer you give offers me insight into whether or not I offer this third deal."

Zabuza growled and he turned away, refusing to speak.

Rolling his eyes at the obvious show Naruto allowed the man a way out, but still in a way that got him his answer. "Listen. I'm not looking for you spill out your heart and soul to me. If you care about Haku in any shape or form just offer me a nod. Nothing more. Just a nod is all."

It took a while, but after a few moments of Zabuza visibly scowling under his mask Naruto saw the barest of nods and Zabuza's irritation grew a bit more when he saw the blonde smile.

"All right. Well here's my third offer to you." Naruto paused significantly before going on. "War and all out battle is a terrible place for a young ninja like Haku to experience, especially a young female if you catch my drift. What would you say if I brought Haku back with me to Konoha? Some place she can find refuge until all the conflict has died down. My fight with her gave me the impression she is very kindhearted and dislikes fighting unless it's for you. I can promise you she'll be allowed all the freedom she desires in Konoha with no price besides you choosing us over Gato. What do you say?"

Naruto saw a myriad of emotions cross Zabuza's face: fury, contemplative, a spark of sadness, and finally acceptance. When he spoke next he spoke not to Naruto, but to the ground, refusing to make eye contact with the blonde so as to try and save some face. "You would do that? Take Haku away from this cruel world?"

"Of course. While the cruel world surrounds every facet of the life we live I believe it's much lower back in Konoha compared to the blood soaked battlegrounds back in your country. I'm sure you'd agree."

He received a nod in agreement before Zabuza growled again. It was an easy deal for the man and a hard deal all at once. True, he would be helping his country and village immensely by taking what Naruto offered, but in doing so he showed that he was a ninja that could and would turn on a contract he had agreed upon. Even if that contract was held by Gato it was still a contract. Yet for Zabuza, who had lived his life as a loyal ninja all his life, he saw that the good far outweighed the bad here.

"Where's that money?"

Naruto chuckled and drawing out the checkbook he had snatched from Gato, he scribbled across it before handing it over to Zabuza who didn't even look at him while he took it.

"You won't regret doing this."

All Naruto got was a scoff.

 _-Back in the Present-_

Zabuza gave Naruto a blank stare before moving to the prone form of Haku that was on the ground. Almost not caring if anyone saw Zabuza bent to one knee and placed a hand on the side of her cheek. "You'll have a better life in Konoha than I could ever offer you now. Make the most of it, Haku." With that he slipped a paper into her kimono and stood. Offering Naruto one final look that read plainly as 'If anything happens to her you're dead' he turned and simply shunshined away, leaving behind the person he had raised and trained for the better part of eight years.

Naruto was the only one to see him go and nodding in silent farewell turned back to his team. "All right my kawaii genin! It's time to get going!"

Hearing this the entire team assembled while Naruto approached having just finished storing Haku in a seal for the time being.

Now together, Team 7 faced the large crowd of villagers. Some of the younger girls were visibly druling as they waves frantically at Sasuke, but the boy apparently deem them fit and merely turned his head away.

"What can I honestly say but what a super job you guys did. Without you this country would still be enslaved that terrible Gato and we wouldn't be able to live without fear in our hearts. Thank you truly for what you have done."

Naruto smiled. "As I said before it was our honor. We were honored to help."

Just then a loud "Naruto-nii-san!" was heard from the middle of the crowd and almost viciously tearing her way through, none other than Soseki, the sweet little orphan girl Naruto had stumbled upon and helped a few days ago, stood in front of him.

"Oh hey there Sosek-" and Naruto blinked, feeling the the girl wrap her arms and legs tightly around his leg. Smiling, he stared kindly down at her at her tear stricken face.

"Are you leaving? Are you really leaving?" The pain in her voice made Naruto's smile immediately drop. Now that wouldn't do. Children weren't supposed to cry.

Managing to separate his leg from her vice like grip Naruto crouched down in front of the small girl, resting her chin lightly in his fingers. "Now Soseki-chan. We both knew that I wouldn't be able to stay."

"B-But why? You don't like it here? You don't like…me?" The final word came out in a soft whimper and Naruto's heart hurt from hearing it.

Wanting to wipe away that look of sadness and hurt Naruto shook his head. "No of course not. Never that. I was here for a mission. Now that it's over I've gotta go back home." Seeing her face fall even more Naruto knew he had to do something. Fast. "But tell you what. If I promise to come back and visit you will you promise me you'll be a big girl and be wipe that frown away? Nii-san thinks it doesn't suit you. He'd much prefer seeing you with a smile."

Soseki sniffled one last time before offering him a smile and Naruto saw some of her sadness leave her eyes.

Patting her head and smiling back he rose. "There's that smile. Now where's Kiya-san?"

"Here Naruto-san!" Said woman broke free from the milling herd of people and hurried forward to stand beside her young charge.

"There you are. Now I know I couldn't provide anything but a shell for the new orphanage, but I would love to make the first donation. Would you kindly accept it?"

"Oh of course Naruto-san. Any spare change you might have would be well worth it."

Grinning wickedly Naruto turned his back to her, appearing as though he was scribbling something down. When he turned back to her he then handed her a check. "Will this do? I can offer more if not."

Naruto watched with great satisfaction as Kiya looked down at the check, then up, then back down and almost burst out laughing when her eyes nearly flew out of her head.

"N-N-Naruto-san! T-This is way too much!"

Smirking Naruto feigned deafness and put a hand to his ear. "What was that? I couldn't hear you. Was that a thank you?"

Her eyes widening still Kiya immediately began to bow profusely. "Thank you Naruto-san. Thank you thank you thank you."

Chuckling Naruto stopped her with a light touch to her shoulder. "Now now none of that. Make sure you spend it well. The children deserve it."

"Oh of course."

Nodding Naruto turned back to his team. Offering all three one of his huge, cheeky grins he pointed ahead. "All right kiddies! We're off! It's back to Konoha we go!"

"Tch you don't have to yell so loud Nii-san. We're right here."

"Rina-san is quite correct. The level of noise you are giving off is disrupting the tranquility of my insects."

While Naruto crouched off to the side in his own self-pity Rina turned to her teammate with a questioning glance. "Say uh…Shino? I know they say your clan stores their insects in their body. Is that really true or is that just to scare people?" She saw his blank look. "What I mean is I thought maybe they just uh…live in your shirt."

Shino cocked his head to the side. "It is a well known fact we of the Aburame clan house insects within ourselves Rina-san. Would you like a demonstration?"

Instantly Rina began waving her hands out in front of her. "No no! That's all right! I'm go-"

However, Shino didn't seem to hear her and he opened his mouth, creeping Rina the fuck out when dozens upon dozens of tiny insects began to crawl out.

"Shino! Stop!"

Shino slowly closed his mouth. "You did raise the issue Rina-san. I was merely offering a full demonstration to satisfy your curiosity. I believe you received a satisfactory answer?"

Shivering uncontrollably Rina nodded. "Yes Shino. Thank you for uh…demonstrating."

"It was my pleasure."

Around this time Naruto had finally finished his own little pity party and the group was set to leave. Waving enthusiastically back at the cheering crowd wishing them the best and hearing a final "You better come back!" from Inari, the tired but fully satisfied Team 7 left the small village with jovial smiles on their faces.

"So father," Tsunami began when Team 7 had moved out of sight. "Now that the bridge is complete I think it deserves a name."

Tazuna blinked at the comment before his face turned thoughtful. "I've got it! Let's call it 'The Super Awesome Great Bridge Connecting Water Country to Fire!'

Everyone deadpanned at how terrible the name was, but Tsunami recovered quickly enough to say, "That's a horrible name father."

Tazuna tapped his foot and hummed to himself. "You think?" He earned nods from everyone. "Well need a name with strength to signify how strong this bridge is and how strong the people that built and defended it are."

He continued to hum. "We need a name that will let everyone know that this bridge will stand for a thousand years."

Suddenly Inari yelled catching their full attention. "I've got!" And he paused, seeing all the faces staring at him. "How about The Golden Link Bridge?"

Tazuna seemed to consider the suggestion, staring off where they had last seen Team 7. It was a good name, a fitting name in fact. Patting his grandson's hat the old man nodded. "That's a super name Inari. From this point on this bridge shall be known as The Golden Link Bridge. To honor those brave ninja that set our poor country free!"

XxX

 **Well that's a wrap! Let me know what you thought. Hope you didn't mind reading 41k words haha.**


	9. The Return

**Sorry about how late the chapter is coming out. I know it's been more than a couple months, but the usual college bug, aka busy life, has gotten to me and I needed to set aside time for that for obvious reasons. Anyways, for those of you that stuck with me and wanted to keep reading the story here's the next chapter! It isn't all THAT exciting because not every chapter is going to be filled with fighting and battles and stuff, but hopefully it should keep your interest. Anyways enjoy the latest chapter.**

I don't own Naruto and there's no chance I will in the future.

Chapter Nine:

XxX

(Just Outside Of Konoha A Few Days Later)

The journey back to Konoha proved rather uneventful much to the relief of Team 7. With the injuries sustained in battle Sasuke and Shino couldn't move quite as fast as they normally would resulting in a pace that set the group back a day. However, one extra day was a far cry when compared to one possible alternative; them being dead.

Wearily Team 7 approached Konoha's main gates, two dragging their feet while the other two seemed to be completely fine. With her hands locked behind her head and eyes staring up at the ever growing visage of the Hokage Monument, one thought came to mind for Rina.

"You know Nii-san? While it's nice and all to get out of the village, it sure is nice coming back."

Naruto chuckled and ruffled her hair good-naturedly. "Everyone feels like that after their first mission outside the village, squirt."

Rina bat his hands away with a small huff. After assuming a safe distance from her older brother she then gave voice to her next question. "And what happens when we get back? I mean...do we go on another C mission again?" Since this had been the team's first real mission none of them actually knew what happened when they got back to the village.

"Oh you'll get a few days off and then it's back to training and D-ranks for a while. That is until I decide you're all ready for another C-rank."

Whether anyone actually noticed or not due to his naturally indifferent facial expression, Shino was actually extremely relieved at hearing the news. He had been severely hurt during the last battle on the bridge and the journey back, while slower, had tired him out considerably. A few days definitely didn't hurt and would hopefully cure him of his fatigue and most of the injuries he had sustained.

The only person that had any objection to the news was of course Sasuke. From the moment he had awoken in Tazuna's house after that fight he had been brooding, refusing to talk with anyone as he inwardly berated his skills and vowed to improve upon himself. A break equaled no training in his mind and he'd be damned if he didn't train.

All conversation dropped as the four made their way through the large gates leading into the village. Stopping at the gate post so they could do the customary check-in, all four were completely baffled when they saw the two known as the Eternal Gate Watchers, Kotetsu and Izumo, royally passed out with slobber dripping from their mouths.

Naruto sighed at the sight. While it was indeed early in the morning since Naruto had wanted to train his team on waking up on a dime and moving out, mimicking what might happen out on a real mission, he had to admit it wasn't that early and these two really shouldn't be asleep. He intended to fix that the best way he knew. Pranks.

Holding a finger to his lips to warn his team to remain quiet Naruto quickly henged into the Third Hokage with pipe and all. After so many years around the old man Naruto had his voice down perfectly so folding his arms behind his back, he set a grim expression on 'his' face. Now came the fun part.

Clearing his throat and pinning a stare on the two fools Naruto asked, "Is this job so boring to you two that it causes such lethargy and impudence to your duties?"

Both chunin instantly snapped bolt upright, their backs straight as metal rods. "Hokage-sama! When did you arrive?" Both had patches of dry spit on their chins.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Just moments ago. I came here to check up on things and what do I find? Two sleeping fools leaving the gate unguarded for any number of enemies to take advantage of? I should have you executed for disobeying your duties."

The two gulped in terror, their bodies shaking with nerves. "B-But Hokage-sama. We have a good rea-" began Kotetsu.

"Be quiet. There is no excuse for sleeping on the job. The village could be swarming with enemies, massacring hundreds, and the blame would fall entirely on you two," Naruto snapped, purposely raising his voice to drown out any pitiful excuse.

The dejection, horror, and guilt was obvious on both their faces but Naruto wanted to continue the torture just a bit more. "No. Execution is too light a punishment for what you two have done. Perhaps I shall appoint you to Maito Gai's training regiment instead. You know he's always looking for more people to impart his youthfulness upon. A few months should do it I think."

At hearing this the color drained from both of their faces and Kotetsu hurriedly moved to his knees before Naruto. "No! Anything but that! Please Hokage-sama! Kill us if you must but don't make us go through that living hell! Come on Izumo tell him!" Hearing no response Kotetsu turned and saw his partner curled up in a corner, weeping profusely as he resigned himself to his fate.

Unbeknownst to the pair Naruto was having an extremely difficult time, forcing himself not to just burst out laughing at the hilarious spectacle. 'Gai...you never fail me'

After many moments of just watching the pair cry Naruto began to think they had had enough and had learned their lesson. "Be that as it may I currently have no ninja at the moment to fill in two vacancies here so this will be your first and only warning. Do not let me catch you sleeping at your posts again. He pinned each with a hard look. "Do I make myself clear?"

Both immediately bobbed their head. "Y-Yes Hokage-sama. Loud and clear."

Naruto nodded in acceptance. "Very good." Beginning to turn he then thought of something. "Oh and be sure to mark down that Naruto and his team are back from their mission. They arrived while you two were dozing." With that he and his team that had hidden themselves off to the side left the pair in a fit of silent laughter, the jovial sounds coming mainly from the siblings, and Naruto felt fully confident this would definitely not happen again.

Once they had managed a few blocks deeper into the village and reached a split in the road Naruto stopped his young team. "Alright you three. Off to the hospital with you."

"Excuse me, Naruto-sensei. Would it not be best to report to the Hokage or whomever we must meet up with to give our mission report?" Shino asked.

Naruto shook his head. "I'll handle that. Standard protocol is for a team that has left their country and or encountered foreign ninja to have one person report while the others immediately head to the hospital upon arriving at the village." This was a practice followed by all hidden villages within the Elemental Nations out of discretion. No one wanted a possible disease from another nation being brought in and spreading and in effect it also helped keep out possible spies that had snuck onto a team.

"The hospital? Reallllllllly Nii-san? Do I have to go?" Rina begged weakly.

Naruto winked. "Sorry squirt. Them the rules."

"Fiiiiiine, but I'm not going to like it and you can't make me."

They were all about to split off to their respective destinations after that when they all heard a loud yip and the rapid scurrying of paws. All turning, they were greeted with the sight of a small white puppy rushing towards them.

With a wide smile and a shout of "Akamaru!" Rina immediately crouched to one knee just before the small dog leapt into her arms, tongue furiously lapping at her face in its happy excitement. Trying to hold the frantically squirming dog, she gave up when it then jumped out of her arms and began racing back where it had come, coming to a stop at the feet of its friend and partner, Inuzuka Kiba, behind whom were Sakura, Hinata, and their instructor Kurenai.

Kiba was first to greet them as both teams met, staring down at them with a smug grin. "Yo! Long time no see guys." The smugness dropped a bit when he got his first good look of the team, mainly Sasuke and Shino and their heavily bandaged forms. "Dang. What happened to you guys? Tora get a hold of you?" In response they all heard Akamaru growl. Obviously somebody didn't like the devil cat.

Rina smiled down at the small puppy. "No. We actually just got-" She was interrupted when there was an immediate whoosh of air passing by her and a high pitched well, some could call it a screech, but Rina thought it was more akin to a deathly squeal.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Blinking Rina turned and saw Sasuke standing there with an agitated look on his face, Sakura latched onto his right arm with a death grip.

"I haven't seen you in forever Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried as she rubbed her cheek into Sasuke's shoulder. That's when noticed the bandages. "What happened to you Sasuke-kun? Who did this?"

"Ano Sakura? I don't think you should be doing that," spoke up Hinata.

Sakura narrowed her eyes in Hinata's direction, still refusing to relinquish her hold on Sasuke. "What's it to you, Hinata? I don't see Sasuke complaining do you?"

"No but…"

"Then mind your own business!"

Throughout all this Sasuke's tick mark had been growing steadily larger, to a point where Rina figured his forehead would just burst from the pressure.

Thankfully this unnatural possession of the pinkette was tempered by her sensei who moved over to Sakura and with a distasteful curve to her lips grabbed her, tearing her away from Sasuke.

"Sakura. Behave yourselves. It's like you've learned nothing from me," came the stern, rebuke filled voice of Kurenai as she pulled Sakura back to Kiba who was exhibiting an amused smirk.

"But Kurenai-sensei! It's Sasuke-kun! And he's hurt!" she whined, but to no avail for the woman was having none of it.

"I don't care who it is. Kunoichi do _not_ behave like that. Now stay here and don't talk. Understand?" She received a pacified nod in answer.

After she had literally dragged her student away Kurenai finally settled her gaze on Naruto, her irritated look dropping as she offered the blonde a small smile. "I apologize for my student's behavior, Naruto. I'm still working on her," she hesitated, appearing to look for the appropriate word for such atrocious and obnoxious behavior, "Disposition."

Naruto smiled at her in return. "I'm sure her behavior is nothing you can't handle. If not I'm sure Gai would love to get his hands on her."

Kurenai shivered at the mention of the extremely eccentric jounin and famed Green Beast of Konoha. "That is my last resort I assure you."

While the two jounin talked Hinata and Rina got busy catching up.

"It's great seeing you again, Hinata," Rina said as she pulled the lavender eyed girl into a quick embrace, pulling away a second later to eye her friend over.

Hinata gave her friend a puzzled look. "What are you looking at?"

Rina shot a glance towards the boys of both teams before leaning in conspiratorially. "They're bigger," she whispered earning another confused look from Hinata before the girl followed Rina's line of sight to her chest. Instantly Hinata began to blush and due to a combination of nervousness and embarrassment the stutter that had mellowed out considerably over the years re-emerged.

"R-Rina. That's not v-very appropriate of y-you to say."

Rina gave her a cheeky smile, one quite similar to her brother's. "Since when have you known me to be appropriate? Come on how long have we known each other?"

"B-But…"

"Relax Hinata! I was kidding." She paused. "Well not about their size. They're definitely bigger."

"Rinaaaaaa."

"So did something happen to you and your team?" Kurenai asked after talking with Naruto for a while, staring at the two boys in particular.

Naruto blinked before turning to look to where she was staring. "Oh. Well not really. We sort of just had our first C-rank mission and got a little more than we expected."

This caught Kurenai by surprise. They were already doing C missions? Before she could inquire as to what had happened one of her students that had been listening in with his keen hearing had to blurt out his displeasure. Rather loudly too.

"What the hell Kurenai-sensei?! Why do they get to on C-rank missions already while we're stuck picking weeds for old geezers?" came Kiba's angry shout.

A surprised silence settled over the two teams as Team 8 gave their fellow team curious and thoughtful looks. The moment lasted for all but a few seconds before it was broken with a derisive snort.

"Because your team is full of second-rate losers that's why mutt," Sasuke said condescendingly, arms crossed and chin cocked high in a superior manner. This look quickly dropped when a hard fist found its way to the back of his head, making Sasuke keel over in pain, hands clutching at his rapidly swelling noggin.

"Sasuke," Naruto began threateningly after delivering his love tap, "So help me if I ever catch you insulting one of your fellow ninja again I'll put a can of whoop ass on you when we start training again. You do remember our lovely little game of hide and seek right?" Seeing Sasuke's face go white Naruto knew that the boy oh most certainly did remember all those precious moments. He really had to thank Kakashi for showing him the One Thousands Years of Pain technique; it was just a blast. Thank him for showing him. Not performing it on him. That'd be weird.

While this was going on Kiba was visibly seethed at the comment directed at him and his team. When he went to rush at the boy Kurenai was quick to intervene, grabbing Kiba by the scruff of his jacket before yanking him back to her side.

"Now Kiba," Kurenai began, "Once I think our team is ready for missions like that then I'll consider asking for one. Until then we'll continue doing D-ranks."

Kiba yanked himself free from Kurenai's hold and huffed, turning away from them. "Whatever. Let's go Akamaru." Said dog gave a yip and hopped up onto the boy's head.

"Before you go Kiba I would advise you consider discarding the fleas that have made a home in your hair. My insects inform me they are quite comfortable there," Shino said as Kiba began to walk away, earning him a loud growl and curse in return.

"Does he really have fleas Shino?" Rina asked quietly as she stepped up beside Shino.

Shino gave her a blank stare. "Would I really lie about such matters?"

Rina eyed her mysterious friend curiously. "Sometimes I just don't know…"

Kurenai shook her head as she watched Kiba go before nodding her head to Team 7. "Anyways it was good meeting you all. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other soon enough. Goodbye Naruto and make sure you get your team to the hospital." With that she placed a hand on Hinata and Sakura's shoulders and began to guide them away. However, she didn't get three steps in before she turned her head and gave Sasuke a bittersweet smile, "Oh and Sasuke. If I ever even hear of you insulting my team again not even the Hokage will be able to protect you. Got it?"

"Hnn."

Rolling his eyes Naruto quickly walked up to Kurenai before she left. "Don't mind him. Whether he shows it or not he seriously got hurt on our mission."

Kurenai gave him an unreadable look. "That is no excuse for his behavior." With that she began towing her two remaining students away. Only Rina seemed to notice Sakura's head turned back, staring fixatedly in her direction.

'What's her problem?'

Once Team 8 had left Naruto quickly got his team attention again, ordering them to the hospital for a customary check-up while he reported to the Hokage.

XxX

(The Hokage's Office)

"So let me get this straight," Hiruzen began as he sucked on his pipe slowly, blowing a cloud of smoke in the direction of Naruto before continuing, "You mean to tell me you continued on with a mission that you were aware was a higher caliber than previously expressed? Not to mention the fact that the team you were leading consisted of young genin that possessed no battle experience whatsoever?" There was a sharpness to the Third Hokage's tone and it was directly solely on Naruto.

Naruto had arrived roughly thirty minutes before and had just finished informing Hiruzen of everything that had elapsed during the mission minus the part about the Kyuubi's chakra leaking out. He didn't need word spreading that Rina was losing control over her charge and would tell Hiruzen only when he was sure no one was listening the whole process Hiruzen had remained absolutely silent save for a question here and there, but Naruto could sense his grandfather figure was disappointed with the choice that he had made.

But in all honestly though was it really his fault? He had known that he would get some backlash for what had happened, but how could anyone expect Gato to hire such expensive and powerful help like that? No one could have predicted that. However, the team was his responsibility and he accepted the full blame for his actions.

"Hai Hokage-sama," Naruto started, purposely using the honorific for this was no casual meeting. This was strictly business. "I realize now that I endangered my team by continuing on with the mission and will take any punishment you deem fit to bestow on me." With that he bowed obediently, his eyes not meeting Hiruzen's.

Hiruzen sighed as he gazed at Naruto. "This is a difficult matter, Naruto. For one thing you endangered the lives of your team. For another you saved an entire country from the hands of Gato and even managed to provide the groundwork for possible talk between Konoha and Kiri."

Naruto remained quiet, but he did glance up at the older man with intent eyes. "Be that as it may you still put your team at risk and that cannot be overlooked no matter what the eventual benefit it caused. For that reason your punishment will be..." And Hiruzen paused for a moment to let the tension drag on, "To do laundry for each and every Anbu member for an entire week."

Immediately the room erupted with the sound of laughter from specific areas around the room. It seemed the Anbu stationed to guard the Hokage liked the idea much to Naruto's utmost annoyance.

To retaliate for the amusement directed at his misfortune Naruto suddenly disappeared from view, reappearing behind one particular purple-haired Anbu who stilled as she felt the touch of kunai on neck. "Now now Neko-chan. What's with all the laughter? I don't think me washing your bloodstained clothes is funny. Do you?" Whether or not the Anbu took the particular detail about bloodstained clothes as the blonde causing it was of little matter for she began to shake her head.

"No no of course not. Why would anyone laugh at a thing like that?"

Naruto grinned wickedly. "No clue. If they did I'd make sure they'd be dead long before they could even manage out a simple sorry."

Under the mask Neko couldn't help but smirk. "You of all people would think that. But next time we fight with our swords I'll show you who's better. It'll be a long day for you when everyone finds out you lost a fight to a girl."

Snorting Naruto withdrew the kunai from her throat. "We'll see my little Neko-chan. Just be ready because I'm washing your clothes first. You know how much I just love pranks..." He then flashed back to his original spot, leaving behind a somewhat concerned Neko. Surely he wouldn't prank her with her own clothes. Would he…?

"So laundry for a week then? Not too bad." In his mind Naruto was mentally cheering. The old coot had probably forgotten about his insane ability to make clo-.

"Yes. And to keep you from cheating your way out of this I will be suppressing your chakra for the duration of your punishment. We wouldn't want you taking the easy way out and using your clones now would we?" The smirk on the old man's face was all Naruto needed to know Hiruzen was trying his damned hardest not laugh his ass off at foiling Naruto's plan.

Scowling in response Naruto turned and began making his way towards the door. "Fine fine. Whatever you say old bat. See ya later." 'Maybe if he forgets to add that only he can deactivate the seal I can get out of this…'

Right as Naruto was about to open the door Hiruzen stopped him, his voice once more returning to a level of seriousness and authority that let Naruto know he wasn't done with the blonde. "And where do you think you're going Naruto? I believe we have more to discuss. Don't we?" Hiruzen always seemed to have a knack for when he wasn't divulging the full truth.

Sighing Naruto turned around. "Yeah yeah you got me." Darting his eyes to each and every Anbu in the room he barked out, "Leave. Now." His carefree manner was gone, replaced with a crispness that demanded obedience.

There seemed to be a moment's hesitation on the Anbu's part at leaving their lord, but when they received a nod from Hiruzen they did as commanded.

Flashing through a few seals Naruto then activated the silencing seals set around the room, signaling to Hiruzen that what he had to tell him was of grave importance.

"That should do it," Naruto finally said after making sure everything was in order.

"And what is so important that you had to set out my guards and activate the silencing seals?" Hiruzen asked, although his eyes seemed to express he could guess the reason.

Naruto didn't immediately answer and simply began to pace about the room, trying to figure out how best to tell Hiruzen. While the old man was understanding, if he gave the wrong impression concerning the escape of some of the Kyuubi's chakra then there was a possibility Hiruzen would act upon the news; the village always came first no matter relations for him.

Finished with thinking over what he was going to say Naruto stopped his frantic walk. He might as well be straight and to the point. "During my team's battle with the enemy some of the Kyuubi's chakra leaked out of Rina. As a result she became more violent and more bloodthirsty to the point where she was obsessed with killing one of the twins. However, I don't know anything more because I was dealing with my own problem and Rina simply refuses to talk about what happened."

Hiruzen took a moment to digest the news, but when he did he leaned back heavily in his chair. To Naruto it seemed the years the old man possessed were finally catching up to him for his face showed the all too clear signs of weariness and fatigue that came with ruling over a shinobi village, especially one of the if not the largest one of them all.

Wiping his face seemed to do little for Hiruzen as he thought over the news. "And would you say the seal is starting to break?"

Naruto gave Hiruzen his most serious face, face devoid of any emotions as he assumed a purely detached manner. "I checked it over while Rina was passed out. There appears to be no damage to the seal itself."

"If that is the case then how did some of the Kyuub's chakra leak out?"

Brushing a hand through his long hair Naruto shrugged. "I can't really tell you. While I've studied the seal exclusively for years I don't know every little thing about it. If anyone does it'd Ero-sensei maybe, but he's who knows where. All I know is the seal is designed for Rina to access the Kyuubu's chakra so it's possible she instinctively reached out to it when she thought the boys had been killed." Naruto then scowled. "The other possibility, which I don't like at all, is that the fox was able to find a loophole in the seal or overpower some aspect of it. It is the strongest of the nine Biju and might have the ability to do that, but I'm hoping that's not the case."

"You hope?" Hiruzen jumped on that particular comment immediately. Obviously he didn't want the Kyuubi breaking free whenever it wanted, thus endangering the village.

"Don't worry Hokage-sama," and yet again Naruto used the honorific to show he was coming from the viewpoint of a ninja, not just the brother of RIna. "I'll watch her more carefully from now on. Although I honestly don't think the Kyuubi can just manhandle its way out of the seal. The seal's just too damn strong for that."

Hiruzen nodded. "Good. I expect you to inform me of anything that goes amiss. Is that understood?" When Naruto bowed his head Hiruzen went on. "And what about the chains? Is that what you used to suppress the Kyuubi's chakra?"

Naruto couldn't help but offer a small smile. "Hai. They worked like a charm."

Hiruzen chuckled. "As expected. Gifted just like your mother was. Now what of this injured ninja you informed me of? Where is her scroll?"

Rummaging in one of his pockets Naruto brought out that particular scroll and showed it to the Hokage. "Right here. I was planning on giving it Tsunade-baa-chan to see if she could do anything to help."

"I'm sure she'll be able to. Thankfully for you and us this Haku was not a member of Kiri or else I would be forced to throw her out of my village and break the deal you made. But because she was never officially part of their forces I will allow her to stay so long as you and the Anbu I will assign watch over her and make sure she doesn't do anything suspicious. You say she wields the Hyōton?"

Naruto nodded. "Hai. And she is quite strong for someone so young. That I can attest to."

Hiruzen leaned forward, elbows on desk. "And how strong would you say she is?" he asked interestingly.

Naruto thought over the fight he had her with Haku before answering. "Her skills as a hunter-nin are remarkable I'll give her that. Concerning the other facets of shinobi I can't quite offer a level, but she's no genin that's for sure."

"I suppose that is to be expected given who her teacher was."

That comment brought Naruto to thinking back to the deal he had made with Zabuza. "You'll make sure to assign our best to Kiri right?"

"Of course. I'll even have Dog lead the group."

Naruto could only grin at that. Everyone close to a certain white-haired man knew his actual identity within Anbu. Hell even someone that didn't could probably guess because of that distinctive gravity-defying hair.

After that the conversation between the two went on for a few more minutes in which Naruto informed Hiruzen to get someone on the bank information he had stolen from Gato since he had no damn clue how to best use it to Konoha's gain.

Once the conversation had reached a lull Naruto decided it would be best to report to the hospital to check up on his team and find Tsunade. Bidding the Hokage a farewell he left the office, leaving behind an old man that stared at the door to which a future Hokage of Konoha had just closed.

XxX

(At Konoha's Hospital)

Naruto absolutely hated going to the hospital. While it was a requirement that he had to go, it didn't mean for one second that he had to actually enjoy the trip and he expressed his distastefulness of the place the moment he set foot in the lobby of the large building. A cold shiver ran up his spine as he moved even further inside and the reason for it always escaped him. He could only guess it was tied to his, and of course his sister's, need to be doing something, anything in fact rather than just sitting around all day in a white room. Their mother had been like that. Always moving around, refusing to stop even when ordered to and this restless spirit must have been passed down to them from her.

This was the reason Naruto laughed inwardly to himself as he saw an assortment of nurses and doctors frantically running up and down one particular hallway. Listening closely, he heard high-pitched curses echoing down the hall and he didn't have to even guess as to the source of such bad-mouthed behavior.

Walking up to the nurse on duty at the front desk Naruto grinned mischievously at her, receiving a paled complexion in return as her eyes widened considerably at seeing him. "Guess she's that way huh?" he asked, pointing down the noisy hallway.

The nurse's almost scared expression quickly morphed into something akin to exasperation at the reference to 'that one'. It was just cruel that they had to treat these two. "Yes Namikaze-san. As always."

Winking at the woman who simply rolled her eyes in annoyance Naruto made his way down the hall, using the sound of cursing and screaming to guide him to the right room. Once he found it he peeked in and was greeted with a rather amusing sight.

The room was absolutely destroyed. Beds were flipped, blankets thrown around the place, and even a window was broken. However, Naruto had to guffaw at the sight of little Rina holding one of the doctors in a headlock with one arm and another with her legs, both struggling to breath as they tried in vain to get some of the others doctors surrounding them to help. None seemed very keen on getting to close to the girl.

Looking further Naruto found the rest of his team. Both boys were staring dumfounded at the scene playing out with Sasuke showing rare bewilderment while even Shino had his brows arched high in wonder.

Moving over to them the greeted the pair. "Well well well enjoying the show are we? Get used to it cause it happens all the time."

"Why is that Naruto-sensei? Rina-san seems to show an intense hatred for these doctors. Did they do something to cause this?" Shino asked curiously in his bland monotone.

"Oh it's not them personally. She just hates going to the hospital in general like her dear older brother."

"Is there a reason for such behavior?" Shino pressed on.

Naruto shrugged. "Does there have to be? If anything it's in our blood cause our Kaa-chan used to act the same way."

"I see…" All conversation stopped as the trio simply continued to watch Rina beat down everyone that came within the range of her arms and legs.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that someone finally arrived to settle the matter. And of course she arrived in her usual fashion. By punching the door off its hinges and freaking everyone the fuck out.

"Who the hell is causing such a racket in my hospital?!" came the loud roar of Senju Tsunade as she stormed into the room. Right behind her came her usual entourage in the forms of Shizune holding her pink pig Tonton.

"Tsunade-sama please! Control yourself! That's the fifth door this week!" Shizune tried unsuccessfully.

Everyone stilled at the abrupt entrance with all of the doctors paling. However, one person that didn't react as expected at the sight of the raging Tsunade was Rina who leapt up and ran straight at the woman, punching her right in the gut.

All the doctors looked like little guppies at this point for who in their actual right mind punched Tsunade? It was totally unreal.

Tsunade blinked down at the girl, snorting once she realized who it was. "Should've known it was you." She patted her stomach. "That all you got squirt?"

When Rina meekly nodded Tsunade grinned maliciously. "Well now that you've given me your love tap how about I give you mine." She then kicked out with her right leg, aiming specifically for Rina's face.

The foot never hit for suddenly Naruto was standing in front of his sister, catching Tsunade's foot with both hands. However, instead of halting its progress Naruto was actually thrown backwards, his body sent crashing through the wall into the next room over. 'What the hell is wrong with her?! She was going to kick Rina this hard?! What the actual fuck?!'

Naruto's team aside from Rina were flabbergasted. So flabbergasted in fact they had to blink a couple times and rub their eyes to make sure they weren't seeing things.

Moments later a groaning Naruto slowly moved back into the room, clutching his right arm with a small grimace. "Seriously Baa-chan. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Tsunade sniffed uncaringly at the blonde. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you getting in my way like that? You got what you deserve." She then paused. "Where the hell did you come from anyway?"

"I was here seeing my team, you old hag," he answered scornfully while checking over his shoulder. 'Damn. She dislocated it'

A tick mark found its way to Tsunade's forehead. "Old hag?! You better watch it gaki!" A second later she blinked, finally registering what he had said. "Your team?"

Rolling his eyes Naruto suddenly slammed his shoulder into the wall and everyone heard the loud pop as his shoulder popped back into place. There. All better. "Yeah. My team. You know the one I got weeks ago," he said as he rolled his shoulder around experimentally.

"Why the hell would you take on a team of brats?"

Naruto gave her a look. "I have my reasons. Anyways Baa-chan, Shizune, Tonton meet Team 7. You already know Rina, but this is Sasuke and Shino."

Shizune smiled warmly at them. "It's very nice to meet you. I'm Shizune. Please come to me if you need healing of any sort."

"Oink oink!"

"Oh and Tonton says hello as well."

Meanwhile Tsunade was staring at the team hard, analytical eyes flashing here and there as she quickly assessed the bunch. Then she snorted and looked at Naruto. "They don't look like much to me."

Naruto smiled, taking no offense to her tactless comment towards his team. "Well give them time. Once they've gotten a few more months I'm sure they'll be able to give you a run for your money Baa-chan."

"Not likely. Look at them. They can't even handle simple training." She indicated the bandages both boys were covered in.

Suddenly there was a loud bang and all eyes turned towards Sasuke who was glaring at Tsunade with fire in his eyes. "Shut the hell up. I am not weak!"

Tsunade's lips curled up in a wicked grin as she turned her head and cupped her ear. "What was that gaki? You're not weak? Well come on then and show we me what you've got little Uchiha."

That was all Sasuke needed. Leaping towards the blonde woman with a yell he attempted to punch the woman. This action would of course have a terrible ending. Not even trying to dodge Tsunade caught Sasuke's wrist easily and the look he gave her when he realized he couldn't pull his hand away made her grin wickedly. And that was when she snapped his wrist like a twig.

"Gahhhh!" Sasuke yelled. Viciously trying to tear his hand away he was once again met with failure as Tsunade refused to release it.

"Not weak huh?"

"Screw you…" Sasuke muttered coldly through gritted teeth.

"Oh don't try that tough act with me, gaki. I've broken stronger men let alone little boys like you." She then threw him at a wall that didn't have a big hole in it. Quick to react Naruto threw himself behind Sasuke, catching the boy. The end result was the same as before for from the power behind the Tsunami's throw Naruto, with Sasuke in tow, was catapulted straight through the wall. "Stop trying to hurt my genin dammit!"

"Tsunada-sama! Stop destroying this room!" Shizune yelled immediately after at her mistress.

"What? He deserved it," Tsunade scoffed as she crossed her arms.

"It doesn't matter whether he deserved it or not! Who do you think is paying for these damages?"

Tsunade wrapped an arm around Shizune's shoulder. "Can't we just put up a 'do not enter' sign and leave it at that?"

Shizune gave her mistress an exasperated look. "No we can't!"

Tsunade seemed to consider that for a moment before shooting a sly look at Naruto who was rising from the wall debris. Straightening and seeing the look Naruto immediately shook his head. "No way. Not my problem."

"But you and your little genin are the ones that made the holes in the walls," she said with a smirk, thinking she had won the argument.

"After you threw us through them!" Naruto returned immediately and both blondes began a hard staring contest.

Throughout this whole exchange all the doctors that had been in the room from the start had packed themselves into one corner and had refused to move lest they attract Tsunade's attention. "Ummm...Tsunade-sama. If we are uh...no longer needed may we be excused?"

Tsunade blinked and looked at them. "What? You guys are still here? Get the hell out and go do your damn jobs!"

Getting the dismissal they had desperately sought the entire group were out the door and up another floor before anyone could blink, making Naruto wonder if they had broken the sound barrier. Ah, what fears does to a person.

"Now then…" Tsunade began as she looked at Naruto and his team, dropping her usual bad-tempered demeanor and assuming one of professionalism, "Why are you sorry lot really in my hospital?"

By this time Sasuke had finally risen as well and had rejoined the group, his mood even darker than before as he clutched his wrist tightly.

"We have just arrived from a mission outside of the country and we are required to go through the necessary procedures upon returning from a foreign country," Shino answered.

Tsunade stared at the boy. "Oh yeah. I forgot how you Aburame are." She then looked towards Naruto. "So either the village ran out of D-ranked missions or you thought your team was good enough to handle something a little higher up. How'd it go?"

Naruto waved his hand dismissively. "Eh fine fine. I'll tell you about it when I come over for dinner tonight."

His blonde counterpart guffawed. "Inviting yourself over gaki?" She received a grin in response.

"And why not? It's been awhile since Rina and I have visited. Plus…" and he withdrew a scroll from a pouch. Flashing through a few seals there was a poof and an orange sake jar was revealed. "I got this coming back. Yugisho Tishi's best just for you."

Instantly Tsunade grabbed the jar, checking the label on it carefully before arching a brow in mild surprise. "You really did get the best. Old Tishi's still kicking?"

Naruto nodded. "Yep and he sends his regards."

Tsunade laughed and pocketed the sake. "Come over around seven and we can make a toast to him. Now then…" and she moved over to stand beside Shino who merely stared blankly at her. "Sit your sorry ass down on a bed and we'll get this started."

"All the beds have been destroyed by either you or Rina-san, Tsunade-sama," Shino replied pointedly.

"Jeez kid, just sit somewhere."

The whole team went through the relatively quick but required check-up where they were found completely healthy. After Tsunade and Shizune went over the wounds both boys had sustained and after a careful examination with some minor healing, especially for Sasuke's wrist, they eventually declared the pair all good although they'd need a few days off to heal properly.

Getting the proper forms signed off Team 7 was told they could leave whenever they wished. Rina, Sasuke, and Shino chose to head home at this point, but Naruto held back after telling his team they would have three days to rest up and do whatever. Once they had left Naruto withdrew the scroll holding the still suspended Haku within it.

"Say Baa-chan can I ask you for a favor?"

Tsunade gave him a quizzical look. "What is it gaki?"

"Well this is related to the mission we had which I'll tell you about tonight. I'll skip all that for now, but I've got an injured ninja in here I suspended with seals that I really need you to look at." He handed her the scroll to which she took curiously.

"A ninja? Does Sarutobi-sensei know?"

"Yep. Already told him," Naruto replied matter of factly.

"And what's the ninja's condition?" Tsunade asked then, snapping her fingers towards Shizune to take any notes that might be needed taken.

Naruto's lips curved down in a frown. "She sustained a major injury near her heart resulting from an arm being shoved through her chest. I managed to do what I could, but we both know I'm no expert. Just a rough patching up really. She was extremely weak when I placed her in suspension, but still alive. What do you think?"

Tsunade bit her lip and Shizune held a calculating look. Both were obviously trying to figure out the best possible route to take in order to decrease the possibility of losing the patient. Naruto had to hope they would be able to. If they couldn't there was no one else that could.

"From what I remember of your suspension seals time and space stop for anything inside of them right?"

"Yeah. She'll be in the same shape as when I put her in it," Naruto answered.

"Good. That gives me time then. I don't have time today to possibly even consider going through this risky procedure if the injury is as bad as I think it is, but I'll set aside tomorrow for that. Shizune I'll need your help for this."

"Of course Tsunade-sama."

Naruto couldn't hold back a smile as he tipped his head in gratitude. "Thanks Baa-chan, Shizune-nee-chan. I owe you both one."

Tsunade smirked back. "If you're ever out and happen to spot some particularly rare sake you better damn well buy it, gaki."

Naruto laughed and nodded. "Will do. Thanks again."

"Oh get out of here already. Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Nah. Well...I could go for some ramen right about now" Naruto said absently, his mind immediately switching over to thoughts that only included types of ramen he could get.

Tsunade and Shizune shared a laugh. "Get out of here and go eat that damn stuff gaki," Tsunade said as she pushed her fellow blonde towards the hole in the wall where the door had been.

"Yeah yeah I'm going. See ya around Shizune-nee-chan. Baa-chan I'll see you tonight." He left then, drool coming out of the corner of his mouth as his thoughts were totally and purely focused on ramen. So focused on the food of the gods was he that he never noticed a figure standing just around the corner watching him go.

"Interesting…" the figure said, pushing his glasses higher up on the bridge of nose before he turned and disappeared down a dark hallway.

XxX

(A Few Minutes Later)

Naruto whistled as he walked down the road towards Ichiraku's, pleasantly waving to those that he knew and occasionally to those that he didn't. He took great satisfaction in just walking around the village. It was such a beautiful place with its constant sunshine and the sweet aroma coming off the many flower beds that people planted around their houses. He always had to wonder if there could be anywhere more grand and amazing than his home. Of course he was biased, but who could deny Konoha's beauty? Well maybe people from Iwa could, but that was besides the point.

However, while Naruto's outer complexion gave off one of utmost ease and serenity inside the blonde was having an intense argument with himself. And what could this argument be concerned with other than ramen?

'If I get large a miso I can get an additional small bowl of veggie. But do I really want miso? I mean chicken really sounds good right now. But then again miso is a classic and always tastes great. Gahhhh I don't know!'

"Yo Naruto!" 'Hmmm…maybe I should flip a coin.' "Uh Naruto?" 'Heads miso, tails chicken.' "Naruto!" Naruto was suddenly snapped out of his ramen obsessed thoughts and he blinked. Standing in front of him was Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai, all displaying curiously amused expressions as they regarded their fellow jounin sensei.

"Uh hey guys. What's up?"

"We were heading to get some barbeque and saw you out and about. Wanna get some grub?" Asuma asked, thumbing the direction of their favorite barbecue place.

Now Naruto faced conflicting loyalties. For one thing he had been surely deprived from his Ichiraku ramen for weeks. Yet similarly he hadn't gotten to talk with his friends in an even longer time. Decisions decisions decisions.

Longingly looking towards the ramen stand that was just feet away Naruto gritted his teeth. 'I'll be back soon darlings! Just you wait!' He then turned his head back to them. "Yeah I'll come with you guys."

It didn't take long for them to reach the restaurant and once there they all sat down around the heated grill. After getting their orders taken Kurenai looked at Naruto with a smile. "So tell me Naruto. What did you and your team have to do for your first C mission? Wipe out some bandits?"

"Your team is already doing C-ranks Naruto? They must be filled with youthful determination to have progressed so far!" Gai commented in his usual raucous manner.

Quite used to Gai's odd behavior Naruto chuckled. "Thanks Gai. They sure are."

Kurenai reached over and flicked the blonde's forehead. "Stop stalling and spill already."

Naruto rubbed his forehead, grumbling about the treatment he received from women in his life before going over what had happened during the mission. As he progressed through his story he couldn't help but notice how increasingly enrapt his listeners were becoming and by the end of his retelling he had them leaning forward eagerly, desperate to hear more.

When he had finished Asuma banged his fist on the table. "Dammit why did I ever agree to teach a team of genin? I'm missing all the fun. Saving countries! Giving dictators a beat down! Kami I miss that."

"You do realize Naruto did all this with his own team right?" Kurenai pointed out earning her a growl from Asuma.

"Still no fair. He gets all the fun."

Naruto patted his shoulder. "Well maybe if you'd get off your lazy ass and actually teach your genin like they should be taught then maybe you'd be having as much fun as I am." A split second after saying this the table went dead quiet.

"Naruto, what do you mean by teach them how they should be taught? I believe Asuma's training is full of youth," Gai asked.

"Yeah. What do mean by lazy ass? I train my team just fine," Asuma then said and Naruto saw a flash of anger in the man's eyes.

Realizing he had inadvertently just insulted Asuma, Naruto slapped his face for the sake of his own idiocy. "No no I didn't mean that as an insult." Seeing the dubious looks he shook his head and sighed. "No really I didn't. I just meant that no one besides me is actually teaching their team the proper way."

"The proper way? Please elaborate Naruto," Kurenai said with a slight edge to her voice. Obviously she still felt as though he was insulting their teaching methods.

Naruto took a moment to breath and focus his thoughts. He definitely didn't want to dig himself into an even deeper hole than he was already in. "You want to know how I teach my team?"

All three nodded.

"Well for one thing I'm a total ass to them. I barely give them any breaks and I push them to near exhaustion every time train. When they start complaining I give them more to complain about. When they don't do something right I push them harder so they fix it. That's how I train them."

"And why would this be the proper way to teach young genin full of youth and spirit? They should be properly nurtured and brought up carefully," Gai said which earned him a frown from Naruto.

"And that's the problem Gai. That's the current belief for teaching genin is just wrong. Be careful with them and make sure they don't get too hurt? Jeez come on. Can't you see how lame and bad that is for them? I mean I've heard every possible story about how you guys were trained before being sent off to the war. You guys got your asses handed to you just to get you ready.

All three stared down at the table, vividly recalling their own training. True. It had been hell. During the last war Konoha had desperately needed fighters, having lost so many in the first few weeks of conflict, and to counteract their devastating losses leaders had been forced to focus their attention on young genin to fill those empty ranks. Barely out of the Ninja Academy at the tender age of ten, trained for a couple weeks in an intense and grueling regiment designed to prepare them for what might happen out on the battlefield, they were then thrust right into the thick of things. It was probably the reason so many senseis nowadays were going easy on their teams. They didn't want them to relive what that had been forced to go through. And there lay the problem.

"When you put it that way I understand where you're coming from Naruto," Asuma said quietly, a cigarette already having found its way between his lips. "But there's no war going on right now. Why push them like we were?"

Naruto smiled sadly. Maybe they didn't know. Maybe they were unconsciously pushing down the fact of the matter, but the truth was there and plain to see. True, the world hadn't been thrust into a war for over fifteen years, but that would surely end soon enough. And of course the root cause of the matter was due to nothing more than money.

The entire hidden village system relied almost entirely on the funds provided from the country they protected. Plain and simple. Sure, during war the daimyos of those countries were all too happy to finance their respective hidden villages for without doing so they would obviously lose their power and wealth. However, when there was a lull in all the fighting, a temporary peacetime that existed between countries as they licked their wounds and filled their now depleted ranks, that previously all too eager desire to fund the villages began to wane. Because of that hidden villages began to place taxes down, began to do anything they could to keep the village running. And what was why a war eventually happened.

As the money issues became tighter for each village, for there was no stopping the inevitable, there was only one course of action those villages could do. They could either suffer the consequences that a lack of money created or they could go to war. And of course the choice was obviously war. Thus, this perpetual cycle of fighting would continue over and over again, never stopping for it was what enabled the hidden villages to survive. So yes, maybe not now but soon war would be upon them and Naruto would be damned if he didn't train his team to be prepared for what was surely to come in the increasingly near future.

"There'll always be war. No stopping that, but I won't deprive my team the training they need to survive when it happens." He then looked at each sensei in turn, making eye contact with all three. "What will you three do?"

There was a long silence as Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai digested that almost challenge. However, they still seemed on the fence about the whole thing and Naruto knew he would be forced to bring up something he hadn't wanted to use.

"Do you really want what happened to Rin and Obito happening to them?" That did it for all three jounin visibly winced at the mention of their two friends that had been killed during the last war. While Naruto hadn't really known the pair, possessing only the foggiest memories of them, he knew that the deaths of those two weighed heavily on each of their hearts.

Kurenai was the first to respond after a long silence. "I...agree with you."

Naruto nodded to her before turning his eyes on Asuma who was deeply inhaling his cigarette. Seeing the look the man removed the cigarette and puffed out a large cloud of smoke. "Fine. I give."

"I will not have our pain be repeated in our youthful teams," Gai then said right after.

Naruto smile and bowed his head. "Thanks guys."

Asuma offered him a stiff nod. "It's fine. I think we all get it." He paused. "But if we're going to do this we better do it right."

Naruto blinked. "What do you mean?"

Asuma exchanged looks with both Gai and Kurenai. "Well another thing they did to prepare us for war back then was to have teams train together. It helped everyone and was a quicker way to teach us how to fight both as groups and one on one."

"Interesting. I guess that way would be better than me just beating them into the ground every day," Naruto commented, tapping his chin. Maybe he really didn't need to beat his team's ass on a daily basis after all. Maybe just every other day would do.

"Hai. This form of training was extremely youthful for us," Gai added.

Naruto quickly pulled out one of the many scrolls he always carried with him, ink, and a brush. "Tell me what you guys did." For a straight ten minutes the three older jounin recalled absolutely everything they had done nearly fifteen years prior. Furiously scribbling notes down Naruto recorded everything they said, leaving nothing out just in case.

"So that's it?" Naruto asked once done, circling the more important points he had written down.

The three jounin seemed to think before they all nodded.

Naruto scanned over the information. "Well we've got some good stuff here. They really knew what they were doing back then."

Kurenai slightly deadpanned. "I mean it was war. Of course they'd make the training good."

Chuckling Naruto rolled up the scroll. "True. So when do you guys wanna start? I know your team has more C-ranks to do than any of ours teams, Gai."

Gai nodded. "Yes. I'm afraid my youthful team won't be able to participate that frequently."

Naruto shrugged as he put the scroll in a pouch. "Just join us when you can. Your team isn't as much in need of training as ours, but their experience would help out when they join in all the fun." He grimaced when he felt Asuma elbow him in the side.

"100 ryo says my team comes out on top."

Naruto flashed the man a cheeky grin, a grin that signified playfulness and excitement. "Oh you're on. 100 ryo on my team."

"What? You are betting on your youthful teams?! How unyouthful of you two!" Gai shouted at them and he got smug smirks in return.

"200 ryo says my team is better than your team Gai," Naruto then said with a twinkle in his eyes and a confidence that showed little doubt in his young team.

"There is no way that that is true!" Gai cried out.

Naruto winked at the man. "If you're so confident then put your money where your mouth is."

"Very well! 200 ryo on my team!" Gai yelled, pounding the table with a fist in his excitement.

At not having heard anything from the only female at the table all three heads then turned towards her with a creak. Shooting her male counterparts an annoyed look she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Fine. 100 ryo on my team."

Gai laughed loudly and slammed his hands on the table. "How youthful a competition! We will see who comes out on top!"

Chuckling at their friend's eccentric antics the four eventually settled down to eat their meal in relative peace, chatting good naturedly as they caught up with one another. The life of a sensei was a busy life with a combination of missions in the mornings and training in the afternoon composing most of their day. So it was nice for all of them to be able to relax and just enjoy their time together without a care in the world.

"Well I think I better getting going," Naruto said after looking out the window to judge the position of the sun, "This was nice and all, but I need a nap."

The other three jounins rose. "Yeah. I've still got some teams things I need to deal with," Asuma said and Naruto couldn't help but notice the slight look he shot Kurenai as he said that. Who were these two kidding honestly?

"I do as well. I never knew taking on a team could be such hard work," Kurenai then said earning a chuckle out of Naruto.

"Oh yeah. Very hard work huh? Better not overexert yourself Kurenai," Naruto shot back, his eyes twinkling with mischief to which Kurenai took notice. Her eyes widened for a second in surprise, but the look was gone in the next.

"Y-Yes well it was nice seeing you again Naruto."

Naruto nodded. "Likewise. Anyways I'll see you guys starting next week I guess. Remember to get to training ground three no later than noon. See ya." He then performed a shunshin to disappear from sight, leaving behind a small cyclone in his wake whose wind whipped out every which way, messing up Kurenai's hair much to her utter disdain.

"He couldn't have used some other shunshin?" Kurenai asked irritably as she furiously tried to get her hair back under control.

"If he did that then he wouldn't get a kick out of your reaction," Asuma said and he pointed up to a nearby rooftop where Naruto was hunched over, laughing his ass off.

"NARUTO!"

XxX

 **Don't criticize me because I'm beautiful! Criticize me if you have something intelligent and meaningful to say. Not because I didn't include something in particular you wanted to see. Oh and I'm still looking for more beta readers! The more the merrier to keep my ass from slacking off!**


	10. A Life-Changing Encounter

**So it's been a while. I have the same excuse as before. School bites, but dem grades are important. Anyways, a little tidbit of information here. I decided to drop techniques written in Japanese and instead just stick to english. It saves me time and effort since for moves that I can't find in Japanese, I have to either not use them and find new moves, or waste time figuring out how to write it out in a language I'm not used to. But yeah, here's the chapter. I decided to start it off from a different point of view since I'm not gonna leave a gap in my story about how certain important people met or didn't meet. Enjoy...hopefully! Favorites, likes, reviews, and PM's are all appreciated! As of May 15 reviews are down so I can't see new ones. My apologies.**

I don't own Naruto!

Chapter Ten:

The dull light of sunrise shone through glass windows onto a figure that was half stumbling, half walking her way to a futon that lay at the other end of the room. Clutching her head with one hand and reaching out to grab a table in an attempt to steady herself with the other, Tsunade yelled out a curse as her hand met empty air instead, falling to the ground in a messy heap.

"Dammit! Why'd you move the table Shizune?" she asked, struggling back onto her feet. Receiving no answer she placed half lidded eyes on her apprentice. Shizune was lying flat across the dining room table, drool dripping from the corner of her mouth. Right beside her lay Tonton, the pig snoring rather obnoxiously with her tail occasionally twirling from some exciting dream she was having. Around the pair lay countless bottles of sake, some empty, some full.

Just looking at the bottles made her headache ten times worse and Tsunade winced in pain as her temples throbbed uncontrollably. All too quickly the room began to spin and she blinked furiously in an attempt to refocus, shaking her head only to regret her mistake a moment later when the room simply begin to spin even faster.

Falling forward and this time thankfully catching the table that had alluded her before, Tsunade painfully hobbled towards the futon, to which she crashed down on upon reaching it. Disheveled and fully intent on riding out the headache, she stared listlessly across the room. Chairs were strewn out everywhere, plates lay cracked on the floor, and there were even a few holes in the wall.

"Just what the hell happened last night?" Immediately she winced again, her own voice further aggravating her condition. Rubbing her temples with glowing hands to try and stem some of the pain, Tsunade tried to recollect what had happened, only managing bits and pieces.

Flashes of booze and food being thrown, of Shizune singing raucously atop a table, of even Naruto stripping came to mind, but everything else was a blank.

Just thinking of the blonde drew a smile to the her lips even though her head felt like it was about to explode. To think it had only been five years since she had met that loudmouthed, boy. While much had changed since then others things hadn't and she had secretly relished the time since then.

Her mind trailed off, back to an event years ago that had not only brought her to Konoha, but had saved her from the worst enemy imaginable. Herself.

XxX

(Five Years Prior)

"Hurry it up Shizune! They'll catch us if you don't!" Tsunade roared behind her, sprinting down an old beaten road. There was an obvious red flush to the woman's cheeks as she ran, occasionally hop skipping as she overbalanced to one side.

"Tsunade-sama please wait!" Shizune cried out, panting as she tried to keep up with her mistress. Not only did she have all the heavy luggage to worry about, but Tonton was clinging tightly to her head and was refusing to let go.

The two were in a hurry to get out of town. Tsunade had once again bet more than she could provide and suffering yet another losing streak the pair, along with their ever faithful pig, had hurriedly jumped out their hotel window and bolted. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence. They had been doing it for years now and while those that that were owed money were quick to catch onto their escape, none of the group were able to keep up with the two kunoichi.

"Can't wait! If we hurry we can get to Tankuro before dawn! There are people there that owe me money!" Tsunade yelled back. Her veins were coursing with the need to gamble, burning even. The itch. Curse that itch. It was coming back, making her skin crawl and her heart rate quicken. It was an uncontrollable feeling. A feeling that filled her every waking moment. It was as if this itch was alive, feeding on the booze and gambling, but yet was never satisfied. Oh no. It was and could never be satisfied.

Pushing her legs harder, she sped forward without restraint, plowing through anything that might get in her way. She didn't care. She just needed to stop that ever insistent itch. She needed…

A kunai landed in front of her and the sound of sizzling filled her ears. Even in her half drunken state her mind clearly and immediately registered the imminent danger and her ninja instincts frantically kicked into overdrive; instincts that had been honed for over four decades. Skidding to a halt and jumping back, her ears popped as the explosive kunai went off just three meters in front and for a moment all she heard was a loud ringing. Falling to the roadside clutching her head with one hand she looked forward with narrowed eyes, searching for her assailant.

As expected a figure burst from the darkness, a kunai gripped tightly in hand as they charged at her. Tsunade growled. She would not be deterred from her vice, assassin be damned. Lifting up a hand, her fingers curling into a fist, she slammed it down and the ground erupted in front of her, the earth splintering apart.

The figure reacted quickly. Showing remarkable speed, they planting a foot down hard just before the attack hit and leapt to the side, sticking themselves sideways on a nearby tree.

Rising Tsunade stared at her attacker, wondering who had the balls or lack thereof to send an assassin after her. While most people she encountered got pissed off about her gambling money she didn't have or even losing the money she had borrowed from them, it was rare someone actually sent someone after her. She was still one badass kunoichi, S-rank to boot, even if she had been inactive for years...and hadn't worked out in a while...and drank every day...and was wasted almost every second of her life. Well that last one could be connected to the previous one so it didn't really count.

"What the hell lady?! You trying to kill me or something?" the figure roared at her and a few things were made clear when they did. He was definitely a he and he was young; probably in his mid-teens going by the still somewhat high pitched voice.

Tsunade twitched. The would be assassin was calling her out on trying to kill him? Really? Was this boy living in his own little fantasy where he thought she would just let him drive a kunai through her heart? Or explode her into little pieces as it was in this case? She scoffed. "Of course I was trying to kill you. You were trying to kill me!"

By this time Shizune had appeared by her side, crouching low beside her mistress with a fistfull of senbons held tightly ready to throw. An unknown liquid dripped from the tips of those senbons and anyone could guess that it was probably some form of poison. "Tsunade-sama are you alright?"

Tsunade nodded. "Of course I am." She was a sannin. One of the three legendary sannin that had survived the second shinobi war. It would take a lot more than some random explosive kunai to get her to kick the bucket anytime soon.

"Oi lady!" the mysterious ninja returned, "Why would I be trying to kill you?"

"I don't know," Tsunade replied with a sarcastic drawl, "Why don't you ask the explosive kunai you threw at me."

The figure fell from his perch on the tree and landed gracefully on his feet. With the moon finally breaching the wall of clouds that had before been blocking its light Tsunade was finally able to see the visage of their mysterious ninja. He was rather short, dressed in gear that was meant for stealth and possessing no obvious village affiliation. Bangs of blonde hair bordered a porcelain mask that depicted, curiously enough, a tiger's face with its maw half open. While she couldn't see his face, she could see his strikingly blue eyes staring back at her through the mask's eyeholes; eyes that seemed to widen for some reason after getting a good look at her. She just figured he must have recognized her as one of the Sannin. You didn't see much of them these days.

Finally, after apparently getting over his surprise the boy shook his head, bangs following along. "Yeah that wasn't my kunai," he paused, "Tsunade-sama."

Yep. Totally recognized her.

"Oh? Then who did it belong to?"

The boy's eyes blinked behind his mask before he turned and pointed back where he had shot out of the forest. "Uh...them?"

Both Tsunade and Shizune turned to look where he was pointing and sure enough, out of the darkness, emerged six figures. Unlike the boy, these figures were all tall, probably adults. Each sported long sleeved black shirts beneath a grey chest plate with matching gloves. Like him they all sported a mask, although each had a rather simple design of four curving lines near the top; lines that signified only one group in all the Elemental Nations. Kiri Anbu.

'What the hell did this twerp get himself into?' Tsunade asked herself, keeping one eye on the kid and the other on the Anbu. She hadn't survived this long as a ninja by turning her back on the enemy. While the Anbu seemed like the more pressing issue at hand, you could never really tell in the shinobi world what was more dangerous: the obvious or the not so obvious.

She watched one flash through a set of hand signs, signaling some type of message to which another furiously responded back. The first Anbu seemed to consider the other's frantic message before he or she shook their head and countered with a curt message that signified their commands were to be followed. The second nodded slowly, obviously still opposed to whatever their leader had said, but as one they and the other five Anbu turned towards her.

Tsunade stiffened. "Shizune, we're going."

"Tsunade-sama?"

"We're goi-" She didn't have enough time to finish her order a second time, having to roll to the side sharply to avoid a hail of kunai. Going with the motion of the sideways plunge, she rolled once then, after setting her feet under her, she shot forward towards the nearest of her masked attackers who was charging at her.

The enemy was ready for her. Smartly ducking away from one of her punches directed at their head, they threw two handfuls of both kunai and shuriken at her. Scowling at the miss, she dodged the counter and in turn, pounded the ground with a fist, causing the earth to erupt beneath the feet of her attacker.

The attack was so sudden and so unexpected the Anbu was unprepared for it and their feet were torn out from under them from the ground ripping apart beneath them. And she took advantage of that momentary lapse, appearing before them and, with a roar, delivered a heavy punch to their masked face. The mask easily crumbled under the force behind the hit and the Anbu was launched back, blowing right through a tree before their back hit a rock with a loud crack. Their body sank slowly towards the ground and from there they didn't rise again.

Scoffing, having expected more from Anbu belonging to one of the Five Great Hidden Villages, Tsunade turned to see Shizune engaging with another one of the now five remaining Anbu. Both were long ranged fighters and evenly matched in skill, unable to get the upper-hand against the other.

Knowing her apprentice was fine and trusting in her skills for the time being she then turned to observe the fight between the boy and the other four Kiri nin and was genuinely surprised to see he wasn't already dead.

Facing off against the four Anbu, the kid created a clone on either side of him before each began to flash through different hand-seals.

Fire release: Expanding Fire Stream

Fire release: Fire Breath Technique

Wind release: Great Breakthrough

All three lifted up their masks. With chests puffed out and heads cocked back, they each launched their respective attacks, two fire attacks erupting from the mouths of the clones while a strong gale of wind blew behind them from the original.

The techniques, all C-rank or higher, flew towards the four Anbu and if they hadn't been powerful enough before, the wind began to fuel the fire, enlarging the two separate techniques until they were twice their original size.

His attacks landed right on target and the fire roared upon impact, expanding out in an enormous inferno that engulfed the four Anbu.

Tsunade watched on from the sidelines, her mind racing with eyes widened from the show the kid was giving. His style of fighting, while unorthodox, was not something she hadn't seen before and Tsunade was brought back to her genin days, days where her ass had been handed to her on a daily basis by her sensei, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had wielded a very similar style. In fact, he had become famous for it, creating clones to serve as self-thinking, self-acting soldiers that he could combine attacks with to create devastating destruction. Hundreds if not thousands of enemy shinobi during the First Great Shinobi War had born witness to how deadly these combination techniques could be, crushed brutally beneath the might that was now the Third Hokage.

The sudden call of one of the Anbu alerted Tsunade that the kid's attack hadn't killed off his attackers and blinking away the memories from decades before, she watched as one of the Anbu blurred into existence above him, kunai poised to strike at the back of the kid's unprotected neck.

As if sensing the presence the kid flipped forward, narrowly avoiding his spine being severed and spinning around quickly, launched a barrage of kunai in retaliation. His attack hit, stabbing the Anbu through chest and limbs, however, the victory was short lived for in the next moment a log took the place of the Anbu, showing that they had performed a quick kawirami to avoid the counter.

"Damn…" she heard him mutter but was quickly forced to put her fists up when two of the Anbu separated off from the group, one appearing in front of her, one from behind, and both with hands already set in seals.

Water shot out from their mouths and raced towards her. Quickly drilling her fist down into the ground, large chunks of rocks exploded from the earth, surrounding her on all sides and blocking both attacks. Sensing a presence above, she snapped her head up to see both Anbu again, this time throwing down multiple kunai.

Roaring out her challenge, Tsunade grabbed for a nearby boulder and hauled it above her head as a makeshift shield. Blocking the kuani with the raised boulder, it didn't take long for her to hear the soft sizzling sound that marked explosive kunai.

'Shit!'

Bracing her legs and drawing the boulder back, she chucked the offending rock away from her, right in the direction of Anbu falling to the ground. Their surprise was evident and they furiously flashed through hand seals, trying to beat the oncoming boulder until they ran out of time and got a face full of rock, the large stone exploding moments later with a loud bang as the explosives detonated.

Tsuande smirked at her success, quite pleased with herself. That was until one of the Anbu blurred behind her and jabbed at her with a kunai. Swiftly planting a hand on the ground, she swung her body up in a great showing of gymnastic skills, moving into a handstand only to grab the Anbu's head hard in between her ankles. With the Anbu clutched tightly between her legs, she continued with her original momentum, hammering his head down harshly into the ground with such a force that his head was buried beneath the dirt and large cracks formed upon impact.

Gracefully flipping back to her feet, she dusted herself off. Peering around, she saw the second Anbu rising slowly from where he had fallen; apparently he hadn't been lucky enough to dodge the exploding boulder like his friend had. With clothes singed and mask falling away into little pieces, he showed little intent on wanting to continue his fight with her; and this theory was further supported when he darted off to the side, off towards…

"Shizune!" Tsunade yelled out in warning and began rushing after the Anbu, knowing exactly what his plan was. Her feet beat hard as she furiously tried to close the distance between her and the Kiri-nin, but the head start was just too much to overcome and she watched on in horror as he pounced on her unsuspecting apprentice.

Having heard her mistress' cry of alarm, Shizune had instinctively moved, turning only to be stopped short when a kunai flashed down into her field of vision. The sharp tip of that deadly kunai cut through both kimono and flesh oh so easily, splitting a large gash down Shizune's front, and blood immediately began to spurt out from the wound.

Tsunade stumbled over her own two feet at the first sight of all that blood and she fell heavily to the ground. A myriad of emotions crossed over Shizune's face whilst she lay there: shock, pain, remorse, all these emotions came together and ended in a dumbstruck look before Shizune toppled to the size, crashing to the ground in a limp heap. Moments later a dark pool of blood could be seen forming around her unmoving body.

'Shizune!' Tsunade mentally cried out and she struggled to reach for her fallen apprentice, bidding her body to move only to find in surprise that it was resisting her demands. 'Dammit move! Move!'

Her cries came unanswered and instead, with her eyes locking onto the blood, her body began to shake involuntarily, her mouth going dry and pupils dilating.

Blood. Just the sight of it caused unwanted and heartwrenchingly painful memories to emerge from deep within her consciousness. Flashes of her younger brother, happy and smiling, quickly transformed into a cold, stiff, blood covered little body as it lay on cold metal in the hospital morgue. Memories of dancing and laughing with her long dead boyfriend soon switched to her painful and sorrow filled cries as she tried in vain to save his life that had already left his bloodied corpse. Blood blood blood. It was an accursed thing. It marked misery for all those around to witness it. How she hated blood.

All this inner turmoil kept her in check and frozen in place whilst the same Anbu that had wounded Shizune began to slowly approach her; dead leaves crunching beneath his sandals as he casually twirled the still bloodied kunai around a finger. So lost was she that she barely heard the passing remark he shot her as he stopped next to her.

"How the great Senju Tsunade has fallen. To be reduced to such a state? By a little blood? Pathetic…" His voice was contemptuous of her, condescending and completely mocking. He stopped his idle spinning and gripped the kunai with two hands. "Who would have imagined I'd be the one to take the life of one of the three legendary Sannin. Go figure." Shrugging as if it didn't really matter, he raised the kuani high above Tsunade. "Please just die for me…" With that he struck down with as much force as he could, aiming at her head for a sure fire kill shot.

Tsunade could do nothing to stop him, barely coherent enough to be aware of his imminent death; still able to see the blood from in between his legs.

Something passed in front of her vision, blocking the blood from her sight. Soon after a grunt was heard and something splattered across her face. With her vision cut short, Tsunade jerked her head up to see the blonde kid standing over her, his body placed strategically between her and the Anbu. His body shook from the effort of holding back the kunai that was buried in his shoulder, hands clamped tightly on the wrists of the Anbu's. She could see the veins on his neck bulging, and even though he was battling with a much stronger, heavier opponent, he looked back over his shoulder, his eyes wrinkled as if he was smiling. "Perfect timing huh?"

Tsunade stared dumbly up at him, feeling the small droplets of his blood slowly coursing down her face. It was clear the boy was losing ground quickly as the Anbu began to overpower him, driving the kunai further and further down his shoulder, but still the blonde kept his eyes on her, not even uttering a sound that signified he was in pain.

"Why…?" She began to ask.

The kid looked like he was about to answer, but his knees suddenly began to collapse beneath him. Releasing a growl, he snapped his head forward and swept out his right leg, clipped his assailant's feet out from under him. Releasing one of the Kiri-nin's wrist as the man fell, a swirling blue ball in his free hand. "It doesn't matter now, you old hag. Just. Get. The. Fuck. Up!" He then pushed his hand forward, thrusting the glowing ball of chakra right into the Anbu's gut. "Rasengan!"

The Anbu's mask, already half broken, crumbled in that split second after, splittle bursting from his mouth as he shot back like a twister from the force of the boy's attack. His body hit a tree a moment later, blowing straight through in only to crash into a second, a third, and then finally a fourth tree before his momentum was halted.

"Gah!" the boy yelled and fell to one knee, his right hand clutching at his injured shoulder. Trembling from his injury, the boy slowly turned about on one knee and Tsunade was immediately trapped within the regard of those crystal blue eyes staring right back at her. "You okay, Granny?" His voice was pained and blood dripping down his hand from in between his fingers.

Tsunade's eyes flinched when she saw the bleeding shoulder, and shakily she brought up a hand to her face, pulling it away to reveal it covered in blood. His blood. Quickly she rubbed it away on a sleeve. She needed to focus. "Why did you save me?"

Once more the blonde's eyes seemed to wrinkle in an apparent smile behind his mask. "I just can't let someone die if I have any say in the matter can I? Plus if I had let him kill you, I think Ero-sensei might've killed me."

'Ero-sensei?' Tsunade blinked. She only knew one person that was called that; Minato used to call him that all the time. "You know Jiraiya, don't you?"

The boy chuckled dryly as he rose. "Sure do."

A small smile came to her lips at hearing that. So the damn pervert had taken on another apprentice huh?

She watched as the blonde removed his mask and when she saw his face flashes of her younger brother assaulted her. A bright smile and those startlingly blue eyes eyes came into focus, very different from her brother, but the face radiated the same sense of resolution and confidence. She had been right, he was only a boy, maybe fourteen or fifteen at most, but she recognized the family lineage. This was the son of Minato and Kushina who stared back at her.

The boy combed a hand through his sweaty hair before offering her another large smile that seemed to radiate as bright as the sun itself. "I'm Naruto by the way. Nice to finally meet you."

Tsunade nodded, staring into those blue-jeweled opals. Slowly, as if hesitant to touch him, she placed her hand on his shoulder. Pushing chakra into her hand, she began to heal his wound only for him to draw away from her, breaking the close contact needed to heal him. Flashing him a confused look, she saw him turn to eye Shizune's body. "Save it for her. She's still alive after all."

Almost forgetting about her apprentice, Tsunade rose and rushed over to her side. Assessing the inflicted injury, she breathed a heavy sigh of relief when she saw it wasn't as bad as she had made it out to be; it wasn't fatal in the very least. Placing her hands above Shizune's chest, she began her ministrations, her hands glowing a soft green as she pushed chakra into them.

Still keeping an eye on the remaining Anbu who had wisely joined back up, she saw them beginning to move towards her position only to stop when ten Naruto's surrounded her. One, presumably the original, stepped forward and spoke. "If you want her you'll have to get through us, tough guys."

The Anbu seemed to consider that, but a few hand-signs from their leader saw them quickly retrieving the bodies of their dead comrades and disappearing into the darkness thereafter. They apparently had had enough for one night.

With the distraction now out of the way she could focus more on healing the ghastly injury across Shizune's front, guarded by an ever-vigilant Naruto. An hour later found her brunette companion looking pale, but alive. From her steady blush it was plain to see she hadn't expected to be taken down so easily.

"It was my pleasure," Naruto said after Shizune had thanked him profusely with a tight hug that had almost broken his neck. Thanks to Tsunade his shoulder was healed and if it wasn't for his ragged appearance, no one would have guessed he had been in a fight just over an hour previous.

Tsunade stood a good ten feet from the pair, watching on with a curiously quiet smile. The initial association she had experienced connecting Naruto to Niwaki had mostly dissipated, but there was still that ever linger feeling in her gut that wanted to believe both boys were very similar.

After managing to separate himself from Shizune's surprisingly strong hold for a second time, Naruto brushed himself off and turned to her. "I think it's time I go. I've got some stuff I need to report to Ero-sensei."

Tsunade cocked an eyebrow. "Let me guess. He had you spying for him. What? Get caught in a Kiri hot spring?"

Naruto snorted, and his behavior oddly amused her. "I wis-," realizing what he was about to say he quickly corrected himself, "I mean no. I just need to tell him that…" and he stopped again, this time offering her a wink and a smirk, "Just some super secret info. You know. Spy stuff."

Rolling her eyes, she approached Naruto and flicked his forehead, knocking him back a step. "Great. The pervert's already corrupted you."

Naruto rubbed his forehead gingerly and grimaced when he touched the inflicted area. "Oi. You can't blame me. I've been stuck as the guy's apprentice for five long years. He begins to rub off on you after awhile."

'Five years huh? That's long even for him'

"But anyways I really need to get going so uh...see ya around?" With a two finger salute and another flash of one of his bright smiles, Naruto placed his mask back on and jumped up to the nearest tree limb, and from there disappeared into the darkness.

Tsunade stared after him thoughtfully, somewhat intrigued by the boy. That fighting style of his could only be as a result of training with Sarutobi-sensei, and plus he was Jiraiya's apprentice and the son of the late Yondaime Hokage to boot? What an interesting child.

"Did you know Jiraiya had taken on another apprentice, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked her in the silence that followed.

"As if I keep track of what that perverted idiot does," Tsunade scoffed. Grabbing up her bags, which surprised Shizune since her mistress never carried anything, Tsunade began to resume her walk down the path.

Quickly grabbing up the remaining packs, Shizune hurried after her. "So are we still going to Tankuro?"

Tsunade didn't answer and continued walking. When the pair had reached a split in the road where one way led to Tankuro and the other Konoha, there was a flash of pain that crossed over her features. These features quickly morphed into resolution and her grip on her bags tightened.

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked and even Ton-Ton let out a questioning, "Oink?"

"It's been awhile since we visited Konoha, hasn't it Shizune?" Her voice was soft, a mixture of hesitance, pain, and fear evident.

"Yes it has," Shizune said and she tried to keep the longing out of her words. She failed and Tsunade finally recognized what she had been doing to Shizune. She had been keeping her apprentice away from her true home, from Konoha where she had been born and raised, where she had friends. While the name of the village brought her pain, Shizune still loved it for it was her home unlike the endless roads they had traveled for the many years since she had left. She had been selfish, depriving her ever loyal and faithful companion for so long. 'Not anymore.'

Hiking a bag higher up on her shoulder, Tsunade turned and took one step then two down the road leading to Konoha, a path of life that was both physical and mental for her. She was going to return to the village, a place she hadn't called home let alone had visited for years. She was going back to Konoha. "Let's get a move on then. If we hurry we can get there by tomorrow night."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." There was an edge to Shizune voice as she followed after her mistress, and if Tsunade had looked back, she would have seen her apprentice crying tears of happiness.

XxX

(Back to Present Day)

When they had arrived in Konoha, a great deal of surprise had been felt by all within the village. One of the, if not the greatest medics of all time, granddaughter of the Shodai Hokage, and a member of the village's three lisyed S-rank shinobi had returned to them after years of self-exile. There had much celebration and soon after Tsunade had accepted the head position of the hospital with Shizune as her second. They had to get money somehow right? That was Tsunade's reasoning anyways, although everyone thought it was more an excuse to stay than anything else.

A few days after her arrival she finally met with Naruto again, and then later his sister. She had quickly formed a close connection with the orphaned pair and after some time, they had begun to see her as a grandmother or aunty figure. Ah the times she had had with those two since.

Sighing in nostalgia and finishing up with her headache healing to the greatest extent she could manage-she really did need to work out how to completely erase a hangover-she looked at the clock and saw it was half past seven. A jolt of surprise hit her. She had surgery in less than half an hour and her mind quickly switched to full on medic mode. Haku had sustained a major injury near the region of her heart, and because of the area surgery was going to be risky so she needed to be prepared for anything.

"Shizune."

No response.

Getting up off her couch, Tsunade saw her apprentice still passed out. Walking over to her, she cocked a hand back and neatly slapped Shizune on the back of the head.

"Ahhh!" came Shizune's immediate response and she clutched her head with a grimace, now fully awake. Her face scrunched up in pain as she asked, "What was that for Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade flicked her twin ponytails behind her as she moved towards the shower. "You weren't waking up and we've got surgery in 30."

The pained expression dropped and looking at the clock for confirmation, the woman snapped to attention. "I'm sorry Tsunade-sama! I didn't realize the time."

Tsunade glanced back over her shoulder. "It doesn't matter. Just get ready." The door closed behind her as she entered the bathroom. Shizune followed her mistress's order and departed quickly thereafter. She was in such a rush that she completely forgotten she had left behind something, or rather someone rather important.

Tonton lay on her back with her feet pointed towards the ceiling. A trail of drool dripped from the corner of her mouth and her tail twirled as she dreamt about whatever pigs dreamt. When the door slammed behind Shizune as she ran off Tonton was snapped from her dreams and she looked around drowsily to see no one around.

"Oink?"

XxX

(Anbu HQ)

There is a place in Konoha that is unknown to most of the Konoha populace. It is situated deep beneath the village, built into a hollow cavern crafted as a result of the constant shifting of tectonic plates. Smoothed over by use of earth chakra, this place is the headquarters to the shinobi that manage all the higher-class mission requests as well as control order and stability within both Konoha and Fire Country itself. This place is Anbu Headquarters and it is where one blonde man scrubbed away at filthy clothes with vigorous industry.

Naruto was not having a good day so far. His back hurt from having to bend over the wash bucket, his hands hurt, and he was soaking wet; how he managed the last one was a tale in itself. What's worst was that every time an Anbu passed by the entrance to his humble little nook in the wall or stopped by to give him their laundry, he would hear the faint sounds of laughter filter through the air as they left. The sound grated at his self-control and he was just about ready to burst out of irritation.

"Why the hell did Jiji make me do this? It's not like I got any of them killed or anything," Naruto grumbled to himself, slapping a pair of pants into his wash pan with such force that soapy water splashed up into his face. "Dammit!" He cursed angrily, rubbing at his stinging eyes as he tried to scrub the soap out of them.

"Ma ma will you pipe down? Some people are trying to read here."

Naruto stilled at hearing the voice, a voice he recognized distinctly. Uncaring if it was dirty or not, he grabbed for the nearest article of clothing and scrubbed at his eyes hard. When he had managed to clean most of the soap out of them he looked up and saw Hatake Kakashi looking back at him, leaning back against a wall and casually holding his customary red book of filth.

And the sight of him caused a scowl to cross over his features. "Well I'm sorry that my suffering is bothering you, Kakashi. I'll try and keep the sound of my misery down for your benefit."

Kakashi eye-smiled and his facemask crinkled up as if he was smiling beneath it. "Apology accepted."

Naruto rolled his eyes, but he couldn't keep the scowl in place for long and it soon melted away into a genuine smile as he stared at the man that was like an older brother to him. "So let me guess. Here to drop off some clothes?"

Kakashi's face morphed into one of surprise and miraculously a large bag appeared in the man's hand out of thin air. "How ever did you know?" He then threw it at Naruto, who neatly caught it. Naruto's smile instantly dropped once the reeking odor of the sack reached his nose.

"What the hell, Kakashi?! It smells like shit!" He clapped a hand over his nose and threw the bag away in disgust, right next to all the other laundry bags that still needed tending to.

Kakashi beamed as though he was pleased at hearing how much the bag disgusted Naruto and the blonde half expected that was actually the reason. "That's because it is full of shit! Well I guess I should say my clothes are covered in it." Seeing Naruto's appalled face he then went on in normal fashion, describing how he managed to make his clothes so filthy. "You see, I was taking one of my normal walks around Konoha and I was so enthralled by the beauty of our amazing village that I didn't pay attention to where I was walking and fell right into a big pile of horse manure. Manure! The nerve of some people not cleaning up after their animals honestly. Well then, hearing you were back, I decided to come visit my dear little Naruto, but then some Inuzuka dogs decide to use me as a place to pee. I was so surprised I couldn't move out of the way. Can you believe that? And then..." Kakashi paused, seeing the growing tick mark on Naruto's forehead and the looks of disgust the blonde was shooting him.

Naruto rubbed his temples, trying to stem the annoyance that was building. "You're joking right? Please tell me you're joking."

"Nope! And if you can get them to me before I leave tomorrow that'd be great," Kakashi chirped happily. His face then grew more serious and the conversation was turned completely around with his next words. "So how's that new team of yours? I just got back and heard the news. To think, the great Yellow Wraith taking on a few little kawaii genin."

Naruto rose and cracked his back. Leaning over a small washbucket all day really got to your back, and it didn't help he was tall and had to lean further over than most. "Oh they're fine. More than fine actually. They're pretty awesome."

"I heard you got into a little trouble in Wave Country. What happened?"

After Naruto had retold the story, Kakashi whistled, obviously impressed. "Haori and Guri huh? Have any trouble?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Naruto replied in a non-braggart manner. He wasn't bragging. He was merely stating a fact. While both men had been A-rank, the gap between A and S was vast. It would take Kakashi, who after years in Anbu had honed his skills tremendously and was actually very near S-rank himself, or someone else of equal rank to give him trouble.

"Glad to hear. It'd be really embarrassing for you if people heard you died on a simple escort mission," Kakashi teased lightly with his classic eye-smile.

Naruto chuckled. "It would, but I'm not six years old anymore. I can take care of myself you know," he paused in thought, "And don't forgot I beat your sorry ass last time we saw each other."

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head, similar to how Naruto did, and it seemed he was almost embarrassed. While he hadn't lost badly, the last time the two had fought the blonde had come out on top after a straight two hours of fighting. "Well maybe we should try again some time. I'm sure that team of yours is making you extra soft and mushy."

Naruto grinned and walked towards the man. "You wish, Hatake." He then wrapped Kakashi in a bear hug. "It's real good to see you, you know that?"

Kakashi returned the hug lightly, but then quickly drew away from the blonde, "Now that all the gay stuff is out of the way, lunch? My treat?"

Naruto's mouth instinctively began to water at the mere mention of his vice, but he was forced to shake his head. "I can't. I've got some stuff I need to do. How about tonight instead? Let's say eight at Ichiraku's? I'll even bring Rina along."

Kakashi's face paled a bit. Feeding even one of the siblings was tough on the wallet. Feeding two? Oh boy now that was like a one way ticket to bankruptcy for some people. But he had gotten a huge check for his last mission and he could splurge. "It's a date then!"

"Not a chance, perv," Naruto said, punching the man's shoulder. "Now get out of here. I need to finish this drude work by three."

Kakashi feigned surprise. "I'm sorry Naruto. While you might have enjoyed the thought of getting in my pants, I'm strictly a ladies' man." Naruto gave him a look that hinted he should stop now. And of course he didn't. "But if you really want that sort of stuff, I hear there's a place downtown that offers it."

"Get out!" Naruto roared.

Giggling like a little schoolgirl, Kakashi tactfully danced out of the room, leaving behind

a thoroughly annoyed Naruto. When the man had left, the blonde went back to washing laundry, cursing his fate with every scrub. When he got to Kakashi's clothes and had removed them from the bag, a mixture of mud, vomit, crap, piss, and even what looked to be snot assaulted his senses. Eyes watering and nose overwhelmed by the terrible stench of the mess, Naruto screamed.

"Kakashi!"

XxX

Naruto fidgeted nervously. He was currently sitting outside the operating room and had already been there for several hours. Beside him sat Rina, who was kicking her heels against her seat out of nerves. Both were looking at the blaring red cross that signified surgery was still in session, and they wondered how everything was going since it had been hours since the surgery had started.

Their attention was diverted when the doors to the operating room were flung open and Tsunade walked out. Her surgery clothes were covered in blood and there was an air of exhaustion surrounding her. Striding over to the pair, she removed her mask.

Both siblings rose and it was Rina who spoke first. "How is she?"

Tsunade gave them a tired look and took a seat on their vacated couch. "Gimme," she said, holding out an expectant hand towards Naruto.

Unrolling a scroll and releasing the bottle of sake it held, he tossed it to Tsunade, who caught it deftly with practiced ease. Popping the top off, the woman took long gulps of the stimulating liquid, and only stopped when the bottle was empty. Wiping her lips with the back of her hand, she then sighed contently, her thirst sated at last. "I underestimated the severity of the injury," she started, immediately putting both siblings on edge. She was about to go on when a group of medical-nin rushed by them and disappeared beyond the operating room's doors. Naruto and Rina exchanged concerned looks.

Tsunade saw the looks and shook her head. "Relax. We managed to stop the bleeding, although it took awhile." Her face grew more serious. "There was a lot of damage. The arteries leading from her heart to the rest of her body were severed, preventing oxygen from getting to her brain and all her important organs. We were able to fix all this, but there's still a twenty-percent chance she may never be able to be a full shinobi again due to possible lasting damage." She fixed her eyes on Naruto. "Still though, your quick thinking saved her life, Naruto."

He nodded solemnly, and Rina looked a bit stricken at the news. All this caused Tsunade to growl in irritation.

"Didn't I tell you two to relax? It'll take another few hours for Shizune to complete the surgery, and who was it? Haku? Haku will need a few months of recovery time," she paused significantly, "But in my honest medical opinion, I think she'll make a full recovery."

Looks of relief crossed both siblings' faces.

Tsunade pointed at Naruto. "Hey kid, you owe me big for this."

He gave her a somewhat amused look. "The usual I'm guessing?"

"Yep and make it a double."

"I'll have a toad deliver them then," he responded. Tsunade's eyes brightened and her lips crept up in excitement.

Listening to the pair, Rina could only surmise they were talking about booze. "So when can we see her, Baa-chan?" she asked, dying to know.

Tsunade feigned annoyance at being called baa-chan, although everyone knew deep down she enjoyed the name; but only from these two. "Oh give her a few days of rest in the hospital. After that you can visit her all you like."

Rina beamed and would have hugged Tsunade had she not been covered from head to foot in blood. "Thanks, Baa-chan! You're the best!"

For her part Tsunade merely rolled her eyes, but then a smile and wink later from her caused everyone to laugh.

After the good laugh, Naruto glanced over at a clock on the wall. It was near eight and the time reminded him of the dinner promise to Kakashi. "Crap. We gotta go, Baa-chan. I promised we'd have dinner with Kakashi at Ichiraku's."

Rina's face scrunched up in confusion. "You did?"

Naruto ruffled her hair earning him a growl. "Yep! And guess what? He's paying!"

Rina's agitation quickly melted away and was replaced with a wicked look. Tsunade would never admit it, but the girl was kind of scary when she put that face on. "Well in that case we better eat our fill tonight, right Nii-san?" Her eyes twinkled malevolently.

Naruto smirked down at her with the same twinkle to his eyes. "Oh yes. We definitely must, my dear sister." Both began to chuckle evilly and Tsunade was barely able to conceal her amusement watching them. Kakashi was so screwed. He must have really missed the pair to have offered the infamous Ramen Gluttons a virtual free all you can eat buffet. Good thing she had just signed that check for his completed S-rank mission the day before, or he might not have enough to feed the two bottomless pits. Although, come to think of it, even THAT absurd amount of money might not be enough to sate the siblings' insatiable, ravenous appetites when it came to their precious ramen.

A flurry of movement brought her out of her musing.

"See ya, Baa-chan!" Naruto called back over his shoulder, dragging behind him an unresisting Rina. She waved back to the them in farewell and once they had rounded the corner, she began making her way to the baths. She needed a good soak and some booze to curl up with before taking a nap. The surgery had really taken it out of her and last night's drinking hadn't helped matters.

Passing by her third in command on the way, she remembered something very, very important. Turning, she called out. "Hey Siska! Set up a bet for me."

"What bet might that be, Tsunade-sama?" Siska asked.

"It'll be which Namikaze eats the most bowls of ramen tonight and I've got 200 ryo on Naruto."

"Very well, Tsunade-sama. I'll get right to it"

Tsunade did a little jig as she made her way to the showers. She had this bet in the bag.

XxX

(The Following Day)

"Thanks, Naruto. Because of you I lost 100 ryo," Kurenai grumbled as the pair stood waiting for the rest of the those attending the first unified training session. Team 7 and 8 sat in front of the pair, conversing quietly with one another about what they were all doing here. As usual, Sakura was fawning over Sasuke, who was pointedly ignoring her and staring at Naruto.

"Sorry," Naruto said, "I had a big breakfast yesterday." Seeing Sasuke was looking at him, Naruto met the Uchiha's gaze and held it. After a few moments Sasuke offered him an almost incomprehensible nod before he looked away.

'I'm finally getting to him' It had taken awhile, but it seemed he was finally getting through to the broody Uchiha.

"Yo," a familiar voice said. Asuma appeared out of the outskirts of the tree lining. The jounin had a cigarette in his mouth, but when he saw Kurenai glaring at him, he quickly put it. Behind him came Team 10. Shikamaru carried his usual lazy demeanor, appearing as though he'd prefer to be elsewhere as he laid down on the grass and closed his eyes. Choji was munching on a bag of chips, while Ino was scolding him over something or nother. The ranting ended when she spotted Sasuke.

"Sasukeeee-kun," she cooed and rushed to him only to be intercepted by Sakura.

"Get ouf of here, Ino-pig," she blurted out, putting herself between Ino and Sasuke.

Ino didn't respond well to the frequently used insult or Sakura blocking her way to Sasuke. Marching resolutely up to Sakura, she pressed her forehead up against the pinkette's whilst glaring daggers. "What did you say, billboard? I got distracted by your giant forehead!"

Sakura grabbed her shirt. "My forehead is not big!"

"Is so!"

"Is not!"

Naruto had had enough of this pathetic fight. Honestly, they were kunoichi now, and they needed to start acting like it. Blurring out of sight he appeared beside the pair. Grabbing them each by the arm, he whirled around and unceremoniously threw them apart. Both landed on their rumps and exhibited startled looks.

Naruto straightened and fixed hard looks on first Sakura then Ino. Both girls shirked away from his stare and all conversation stopped as the blonde spoke, his voice demanding silence and their full attention. "Shut the hell up, the both of you." He flared his chakra to emphasize his words and all the genin felt the pressure fall on them, pressing down on them from all sides. When questioning looks went unanswered by their respective senseis, they nervously endured until Naruto's chakra dissipated to nothing.

"Now then…" and his voice took on a softer tone, "Are you two done acting like spoiled brats so we can get on with what he have planned for today?" The girls instinctively nodded their heads in assent. Giving the two one final look, Naruto strode back to stand beside his fellow jounin. A glance from him signaled Asuma to start and the bear-like man stepped forward.

"Team 7,8, and 10, from this day forth you will all be performing in a specifically designed training regiment meant to improve upon your shinobi skills. Every week from here on out will be devoted to this regiment. All other days will be devoted individual team training and missions. Any questions?" Asuma was brief and precise.

Shikamaru, showing unusual attentiveness, raised his hand in inquiry. "What will this regiment consist of?" The boy scowled when Kiba lightly elbowed him in the side goodnaturedly.

"What's wrong, Shikamaru? Worried you won't get your sixteen hours of sleep anymore?" Many of the genin either chuckled or giggled, but Shikamaru ignored them all and the jab at his usual disposition, instead staring at his sensei, patiently waiting for an answer.

"We'll be dealing with one-on-one's, team workouts, and some other stuff we'll let you know about when we get there," Asuma answered blandly, pointedly refusing to give away any real specifics.

"Are all the other teams doing this?" Sakura asked.

Asuma shook his head. "Nope. Just these three teams and Team 9 when they can find the time. Lucky you."

Shino turned shaded eyes onto Naruto. "And you feel this new training is necessary for further advancement of our skills?"

"Very. Trust me, by the end of this you guys will be thanking us," Naruto replied easily. Shino seemed to accept this and Sasuke was next up to question them.

"What's the point of training with these...," he stopped himself when he saw the warning look Naruto shot him and decided to take a more tactful approach, "Other teams? Our training with you is good enough for me."

Naruto smiled. "Sasuke, some things you learn by yourself, some things you learn with others. Just trust me on this." Blue met black as sensei and student stared at one another. Sasuke's gaze showed he was searching for something. He looked away when he had apparently found what he was seeking. "Tch. Whatever."

"Any other questions?" Naruto asked, looking at the rest of the genin assembled who remained quiet. "No? Right then. Warm-up time for you sorry lot. Give me twenty laps around the field." All the genin groaned, but when threatened with twice as much running if they didn't get off their lazy asses and start running, they all readily complied.

The trio watched their genin for a while, both Kurenai and Asuma grimacing when they noticed Ino and Sakura lagging behind the pack.

"So what do you guys wanna do today? One-on-ones?" Naruto asked.

Kurenai considered that. "I'm fine with it. Asuma?" Asuma assented as well and stuck a cigarette in his mouth. Making to light it, he was stopped when Kurenai snatched it from him. She then stomped on it and ground the cigarette beneath her heel.

"Dammit Kurenai! Those things are expensive!" he growled in annoyance. Kurenai merely arched one of her finely crafted brows.

"Excuse me for worrying about your health," she replied with a roll of her eyes.

Asuma made for another cigarette, but stopped short when he saw Kurenai staring at him with narrowed eyes, as if daring him to do it. Sighing dejectedly, he put the cigarette pack in its pack. "What's the big deal, Kurenai? You know these things barely affect me."

Kurenai was quick to respond. "And you know I'm not willing to take that chance, no matter how confident you might be."

Naruto watched on totally forgotten, not that he minded. It was usually pretty hilarious when the two started bickering. Phasing their conversation out for a moment, Naruto watched the genin circle round and round the field. Everyone was bunched up with Kiba and Sasuke in the lead. Behind the group were Ino and Sakura and the gap between both groups was lengthening by the minute. He needed to something about that.

"Hey Kurenai. Can you help me with something?" When he illustrated his plan to her and she had agreed to go along with it, Naruto flashed them one of his huge, cheeky grins before blurring out of sight.

The two remaining jounin watched on, knowing they were about to get a good laugh.

XxX

"Get out...of my way...Ino-pig," Sakura gasped out through ragged breaths as both girls chugged along wearily.

"No way...forehead," Ino snapped back. They were way behind the rest of the group and had already been lapped once.

All of a sudden something warm and wet landed up against Sakura's shoulder and she shivered at the touch. "Ewww. That's just gross, Ino!"

Ino looked at her archrival in confusion. "What's gross?"

Sakura glared heatedly at Ino. "You just spit on me!"

"What? I did not!" Something wet started running down Ino's neck then and she immediately stopped running. "Oh that's just rich Sakura! Just because you think I spit on you, you spit on me? How immature. I can't wait to tell Sasuke all about this."

Fire burned in Sakura's eyes at the implication. If Sasuke though she spit on Ino then he might think she was disgusting and not want to date her. 'Oh hell no!' Sakura inner mind roared and the real Sakura raised her fist threateningly. "You wanna go, piggy?!"

Ino was quick to respond and she too raised her fists. "Bring it, billboard! I'll mop the floor with you." Both girls fixed heated glares on the other and were about to get it on when a familiar wetness settled on both their shoulders. They immediately froze. If the other was there then what…? Slowly they turned their heads and the sight of something grotesque met their eyes.

Looming over them was a disgusting and vile creature. Its body was covered in thick, slimy tentacle-like appendages that writhed and coiled around it, slapping the ground and giving off a sickly odor that assaulted their senses. And it's face. Its face was composed of ten great big eyes that stared down at them like they were just fresh meat. The sight froze them in place. They couldn't move. Not until it leaned towards them and uttered a quiet…

"Boo."

Both screamed. Turning sharply around, they bolted away with all due haste, forgetting all about their initial weariness. A large dust storm formed and followed behind them as they frantically ran away, passing by the rest of the genin and continuing on showing no signs of slowing down.

"Bwahaha!" the creature laughed hysterically. "Thanks Kurenai!" it called across the field. The woman waved back and released her genjutsu. Immediately, the visage of the disgusting beast melted away revealing a grinning Naruto.

Man he loved being a sensei. These kids were so easy to scare.

XxX

After the group had reassembled the jounin decided to start things off. Since there was odd number of genin Hinata was given a bye this time around. She'd get to participate the next time they did one-on-ones.

The rules were simple. No killing and first to submit or decided as incapable of continuing with the match were ruled the losers. Everything else was free-game.

The first two up to fight were Shino and Kiba.

"I'm not gonna go easy on you, Shino," Kiba said with confidence and Akamaru barked in accord with his partner.

"I would expect nothing else. Why? Because we must fight with our full strength if we are to better improve upon ourselves." Shino's hands were in his pockets and everyone could hear the sound of buzzing coming from the boy.

Naruto looked first at Kiba then at Shino. "Ready?" They both nodded and Naruto chopped his hand down. "Hajime!"

Immediately after getting the signal to start, Kiba tossed a soldier pill into the waiting maw of Akimaru. The puppy gulped the pill down. A moment later there was an explosion of white smoke and when it had cleared two Kibas stood in front of Shino. Both sets of hands came up in a sign and as one, they crouched onto all fours. Blue chakra began to swirl around their bodies. Fangs and teeth grew into vicious points and each took on a much more feral appearance.

"You ready Akimaru?" one Kiba asked and an answering bark was heard from the other Kiba. They turned their eyes on Shino.

"Ready or not, Shino, here we come." Kiba said and then they charged, running all fours as they rushed Shino.

Shino wasn't about to let them get close. He knew he wasn't close to Kiba when in came to close-quarter combat and would be put at a disadvantage if they managed to get to him. Reaching towards the running pair with both hands, insects swarmed out of his sleeves and raced to intercept. The two clouds broke off into four and then eight groups, coming at the Inuzuka and his partner from all directions.

Kiba broke off his straight forward dash and darted to the side as did his partner. They were fast. Extremely fast for a genin and his dog and Shino's bugs just couldn't keep with the virtually flying pair as they dodged and weaved through the swarms, finally finding a hole in the wall of insects to pounce on him. With claws extended, they swiped at Shino and raked through his body was ease.

"Ha! Did you see that, buddy? We totally whooped his ass!" Kiba cheered to Akamaru as they landed back on all fours. When they turned to Shino, however, his body was already dissipating into a cloud of insects.

"What the-?"

"You would have done well to pay more attention, Kiba," said Shino as he reemerged from behind a tree. "Why? Because you would seen that was merely a clone all along."

"But it had your smell," Kiba protested vehemently. His nose never failed him. Never.

If Shino had been anyone else he would have been smiling. "We of the Abureme clan house our insects within our own bodies. Why is this relevant? Because after so long within our bodies, our insects adapt to us, even so much as retaining our scent."

"Why you…" Kiba was about to attack Shino again when he felt something crawling at his feet. Looking down, he saw the ground beneath his and Akamaru's feet covered in bugs. It was only then that he noticed the sharp drop in his chakra. Knowing he needed to move, Kiba jumped away followed by Akimaru.

"You wanna go, tough guy? Bring it!" Kiba yelled at Shino and removed a handful of smoke bombs from his pouch. Throwing them at Shino, they exploded at the boy's feet and blanketed the surrounding area in a smoky haze, cutting off Shino's sense of sight.

Shino was on guard immediately, recalling his insects to him. They swirled around him, forming a living, buzzing shield around him as he waited for what was to come.

'Thud'

There was an indentation in his insect shield as something hard and fast hit it from behind.

'Thud Thud'

Another two hits, both coming from the side quickly followed. Shino quickly deduced what was happening. Kiba and Akamaru were using the smoke as cover as a means to get close to Shino without having his insects attack them. Their sense of smell would allow them to pinpoint his location and they knew he hadn't had enough time to form another clone. But what they didn't know was that Shino had prepared for something like this. When both Inuzukas had attacked his bug clone, two females had attached themselves to the two and were constantly releasing pheromones that his males insects would easily be able to track down.

Shino lifted his arms. It was the signal for his insects to attack.

The swirling, roiling mass of bugs surrounding Shino dispersed out into the smoke. The males bugs were eager to find the females and didn't need sight to find them, only smell. Surrounding the first person they could find with a female, they enveloped the figure in a writhing blanket of bugs, sucking out their chakra greedily.

A yelp was heard followed by a whimper. Shino's bugs had managed to find Akimaru.

"Akamaru!" Kiba's voice rang out and as the smoke cleared, everyone saw the living cage of insects surrounding a now sprawled out puppy. The bugs had already leeched most of the chakra from him, enough so that he couldn't move, and were now keeping him imprisoned.

Kiba set rage filled eyes on Shino.

"You'll pay for hurting Akamaru!" Kiba yelled at Shino and ran at the boy who remained unmoving, watching the charge almost nonchalantly.

This was something Shino had accounted and had even hoped for. The bond between an Inuzuka and his or her partner(s) was a unique connection. Communication by mouth became obsolete, the two needing only to offer a glance to know what the other was thinking. It was an instinctual relationship and coupled with the empathetic feelings they held for one another, when one was injured, the other would desperately seek out a way to relieve them of that suffering.

That source of suffering right now was Shino, and Kiba was furiously charging at him, paying no heed to anything except getting at the Aburame.

Shino waited for Kiba to draw close before making his move. When Kiba was within ten feet of his position he crouched down and slammed his hands onto the ground.

Earth Release: Earth Dome Prison

The ground around Shino's hands cracked from the infusion of his chakra. Forcing out even more chakra, the area around Shino became saturated with his life energy, and where that chakra went so too did the cracks. They surrounded Kiba, forming a crude circle and forced him to stop his mad run. Soon after the cracked stones began to restructure themselves, and piece by piece they glued themselves together with chakra, ultimately forming a small dome around Kiba and trapping him within.

"What the hell is this?!" Kiba's muffled voice was heard inside the dome.

Holding his technique in place and providing a continuous stream of the chakra, Shino simply said, "It is a technique I learned recently. Now please submit or I will have no choice but to make you submit."

"As if some dumb rocks will stop me!"

The sound of fists and claws striking stone was heard next. While the size of the dome offered a limited range of movement, there was still enough for Kiba to strike at the wall encasing him.

Kiba's attempts to get out seemed to be taking a toll on Shino who was shaking visibly. The jutsu Shino was using required a constant infusion of chakra lest the technique be released and break down. Kiba's strikes were forcing Shino to push more chakra into his technique to keep the Inuzuka contained and coupled with the fact Aburames weren't known for their large reserves of available chakra, Shino was having a very difficult time holding his technique in place. All this forced him to play his final hand.

Beneath Kiba's feet suddenly burst out a steady stream of insects that had been hiding under the top layer of soil. Crawling up the Inuzuka's ankles, they swarmed him and began to suck away his chakra. At first Kiba resisted, throwing punches and kicking his legs to try to dislodge the pests, but because of the tight confines he was in he couldn't escape and eventually his snarls turned to groans as his energy quickly left him.

Shino dropped his technique then and the rocks fell away to reveal Kiba flat on his back and breathing heavily. He was covered in sweat and he didn't seem to have enough energy to even lift his head. Aburame insects were very effective.

Naruto called it then. "The match is over. The winner is Shino."

Shino's insects flew back into his sleeve as he weakly approached Kiba. Dropping to one knee, he bent over the boy who was able to turn his head to fix his eyes on the Aburame.

"Come to gloat?"

Shino regarded Kiba with a tired, but equally confused look. "That is not the case at all. Why?" If Shino had been anyone else he would have been smiling, "Because you and Akamaru were hurt and I do not take pleasure in the misery of my friends."

There was a yip beside Shino and Akamaru jumped into the scene, applying a wet tongue to his partner's face. Kiba grinned at his friend's antics and accepted the hand Shino offered to help him up. It seemed Kiba was willing to let bygones be bygones. It was only a fight between fellow shinobi after all.

"Well done, Shino," Naruto said as his student passed by him. "Although I don't remember teaching you that move."

"After returning from our last mission I went to the library to look over techniques that could assist in future battles and found it. It is a B-rank and requires a constant stream of chakra to keep in place."

Naruto assessed his genin and using his sensory skills, he saw that Shino didn't have a lot of chakra left over. That worried him. "Shino. Only use that technique if you absolutely must. You don't have near the chakra capacity yet to sustain something of that level," he warned.

"Noted, Naruto-sensei. My chakra levels were depleted drastically when attempting to keep Kiba locked inside. As well, I was only able to make a small version of the actual technique due to my limited chakra and allotted time given to practice it. I will be careful in the future." Shino said a bit shakily. When Naruto offered him a soldier pill, he readily ate it and the tremors stopped after a few moments.

Following this fight was a battle between Ino and Sakura. The jounin felt that they were about the same level skill wise and anyone else would otherwise knock either of them out with the first punch. What followed thereafter was a pitiful display of fighting, if one could even call it that. It was more a school cat fight, with both girls yelling, tugging at each other's hair, and trying to scratch each other's eyes out. In the end Naruto was forced to call it a tie, more so because everyone just wanted it over and done.

"This is so troublesome," Shikamaru said as he and Rina moved to begin the third battle. The boy's usually lazy air was apparent around him, and his whole body showed it as well, all except his eyes which were focused contemplatively on Rina who stood across from him.

"Oh shut the hell up and get ready, lazy ass," Asuma said from his position in between the two.

Rina couldn't help but smirk. While Shikamaru might assume an indolent and lethargic disposition, she knew underneath that unimposing visage was an extremely intelligent and analytical mind that was already thinking up several strategies on how to go about beating her. Whether his words were meant as a means to offer him more time to think, or just because he actually thought everything not involving sleep was troublesome, the latter being more plausible in Rina's opinion, had yet to be seen. However, this should prove to be a fun fight and she prepared herself in the initial pose of the Namikaze style. She was going to attack Shikamaru fast and hard.

Asuma looked between the two. After getting their nods of readiness, he chopped his hand down and yelled, "Hajime!"

Rina didn't wait long to move. Her legs were tingling with all the chakra she had focused in them and all that power was waiting to be released. She provided that release as she dug the balls of her feet into the ground and burst forward, speeding towards Shikamaru with strong, powerful beats of her legs.

She was in front of him in moments, fist clenched and aimed right for his face.

"Shit!" Shikamaru cried out as he frantically formed a hand seal to try and stop Rina. A small sliver of black broke off from his shadow and sped with all due haste towards her's.

Rina noticed the counter. Halting her attack, she instead pushed her right foot into the ground and somersaulted over Shikamaru's head. With fingers already formed into a familiar 't' as she landed, three clones appeared beside her. Quickly moving to surround Shikamaru on all sides, they drew out kunai and began throwing them at the Nara.

"Isn't this cheating or something?" Shikamaru asked in desperation as he was forced to dodge, but not before getting scored on the cheek. Rina was attacking him so aggressively, so quickly that he didn't have time to think of any plans to win. All he could do was dodge and hope he managed to get out of the way of all the kunai.

Rina continued on with her onslaught of kunai, apparently dissatisfied with her apparent ineffectiveness in hitting Shikamaru. So it came as a surprise to Shikamaru when the rain of kunai suddenly stopped. Looking at the Rina in front of him, he was startled when he noticed a single line of ninja wire running from each of her hands, both bound tightly around a wrist.

She gave him a cheery smile then pulled on her lines, as did the other three Rina's and eight wires that had been inconspicuously tied to thrown kunai became taut, surrounding Shikamaru in a webbing of ninja wire. Before he could react all four Rina's began running counter-clockwise, the wires wrapping around his chest, pinning arms and legs together, and ultimately ensnaring him in their trap. In the end Shikamaru was left like that of a bug trapped in a spider's nest: tied up, squirming, and unable to escape his captor.

Rina walked up to Shikamaru with that same jovial smile on her face. "I win," she said happily and tapped him lightly on the forehead. Shikamaru lost his precarious balance and toppled onto his back.

Asuma walked up to the pair. Staring down at Shikamaru who looked like a wriggling caterpillar he smirked. "A little tied up are we kiddo?"

"Bite me."

The man chuckled and called it. "This match is over. Rina is the winner."

Rina gave everyone a triumphic look then moved to Shikamaru. Cutting away his bonds, she helped him up. "You really suck at fighting, you know that?" she said jokingly.

"I'm a Nara. We're known more for our tactical retreats than full out fighting. Give me a break," Shikamaru said as he dusted himself off. "Glad to know my suspicions were right though."

"Suspicions about what?"

"About you pretending to be a complete idiot for the last five years," he answered, surprising her. "What? You thought no one would notice?"

Rina scratched the back of her head. A small blush of embarrassment came to her cheeks. "Well yeah. That was the plan anyways."

"Troublesome Namikaze," Shikamaru said. Rubbing the back of his neck he walked back over to his team. Rina listened as Ino pointedly berated him for losing to her, about how he was such a slacker, but Shikamaru simply ignored her and lay down, closing his eyes.

'Glad I don't have her on my team' Rina thought as she watched Sasuke and Choji take the field. Choji was munching on his bag of chips and Sasuke had on his usual 'better than thou' face. Moving back to her team, she settled in to watch the show.

The match that followed was pretty much one-sided. While Choji had the muscle to go head to toe with Sasuke, he didn't have nearly the level of speed the Uchiha possessed. In the end, it came down to Choji nearly exhausted and Sasuke appearing only slightly out of breathe. All it took was a kunai placed up against Choji's neck for the match to be called with Sasuke as the victor.

Sasuke walked up to Naruto after. His hands were in his pockets and he held an annoyed look. "That was a complete waste of my time. Let me know when we actually do something productive." With that he walked off to the other side of the field to train alone.

Naruto sighed as he watched his young genin go. Even with the amount of work he had put into Sasuke, the Uchiha blood running through him held a strong influence on the boy's mentality. The Uchiha clan was a warrior clan, always training and striving to be the best. They wasted little time on matters unrelated to honing their skills, especially Sasuke who was of the opinion he had to reach Itachi's level as fast as humanly possible. It was going to be uphill battle for Naruto if he wanted to break that mindset.

"Good work everyone," he said two hours later after they had finished with a few more minor activities. "While today was more an introduction than anything else I was very impressed with most of you. Next week we'll really kick things off so get some rest and continue training."

With that said everyone separated off into their respective teams and left. Team 7 was last to leave on account of having to wait for Sasuke. When he had finally arrived none too happy, they too left to go collect their daily D-rank mission reports.

Ah the life of a genin. Such a hard, yet boring life.


End file.
